Valentín Galarza Morante
Encyclopedia
Colonel Valentín Galarza Morante (born 1882 in El Puerto de Santa María
, dead 1951 in Madrid
) was a Spanish
officer and right wing politician. He was associated with the monarchist tendency within the Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista and was critical of the Falange
.
, he had been involved in his failed 1932 rebellion, although there was no adequate proof to bring prosecution. Following the uprising he became involved in attempting to secretly recruit senior officers for future action and one of those he targeted was his friend Francisco Franco
. He became a founder member of the Unión Militar Española
and kept the group in touch with the conspiracies already undertaken by Juan Antonio Ansaldo
and Juan Vigón
. As a consequence of his wide circle of contacts he became part of the conspiratorial group of officers around Franco and Emilio Mola
. He was vital to Franco personally as he was the general's link man to the UME.
In 1934 he was at the centre of a coup plot when plans were put in place for Anslado to fly General Sanjurjo back from exile in Portugal
. The plan was for Sanjurjo to link up with Juan Yagüe
and to lead a coup. However whilst the plotters waited at Pedro Sainz Rodríguez
's house word came through from Franco that the right was not yet ready and for the plan to be aborted. Galarza however remained a central figure in the conspiracies and, based as he was in the War Ministry in Madrid
, he was central in passing messages between the generals in the immediate run-up to the Spanish Civil War
.
On 5 May 1941 he was appointed Interior Minister as Franco moved to check the growing influence of Ramón Serrano Súñer
by adding leading anti-Falangists like Galarza to the cabinet. Following his appointment Galarza was the subject of numerous attacks in the Falangist press although he hit back by dismissing all the Falangist under-secretaries in his department, most notably Dionisio Ridruejo
who had written a particularly scathing article against him. However it was Galarza's anti-Falangism that also proved his undoing as his close support of José Enrique Varela
led to his dississal in 1942. Franco feared the growing power of Varela who came to the fore as an opponent of Falangism when he resigned after Falangists attacked monarchists at the Basilica of Begoña
and sought to remove his supporters, including Galarza, from positions of influence.
for their involvement.
El Puerto de Santa María
El Puerto de Santa María is a municipality located on the banks of the Guadalete River in the province of Cádiz, Spain. , the city has a population of c...
, dead 1951 in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
) was a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
officer and right wing politician. He was associated with the monarchist tendency within the Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista and was critical of the Falange
Falange
The Spanish Phalanx of the Assemblies of the National Syndicalist Offensive , known simply as the Falange, is the name assigned to several political movements and parties dating from the 1930s, most particularly the original fascist movement in Spain. The word means phalanx formation in Spanish....
.
Conspiracies
An early supporter of José SanjurjoJosé Sanjurjo
General José Sanjurjo y Sacanell, 1st Marquis of the Rif was a General in the Spanish Army who was one of the chief conspirators in the military uprising that led to the Spanish Civil War.-Early life:...
, he had been involved in his failed 1932 rebellion, although there was no adequate proof to bring prosecution. Following the uprising he became involved in attempting to secretly recruit senior officers for future action and one of those he targeted was his friend Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
. He became a founder member of the Unión Militar Española
Unión Militar Española
Unión Militar Española was a secret society of Spanish Army officers involved in a conspiracy to bring about the restoration of the monarchy during the 1930s...
and kept the group in touch with the conspiracies already undertaken by Juan Antonio Ansaldo
Juan Antonio Ansaldo
Juan Antonio Ansaldo y Vejerano was a Spanish aviator and monarchist activist and conspirator. A great admirer of Charles Maurras and Action Française, he flirted with various shades of far right politics before and during the Spanish Civil War....
and Juan Vigón
Juan Vigón
Juan Vigón Suerodíaz was a Spanish general who fought in the Spanish Civil War for the Nationalists. Before the war he was chosen by king Alfonso XIII to educate his sons, which he did from November 1925 to 1930. At the beginning of the Second Spanish Republic he left the army due to his...
. As a consequence of his wide circle of contacts he became part of the conspiratorial group of officers around Franco and Emilio Mola
Emilio Mola
Emilio Mola y Vidal, 1st Duke of Mola, Grandee of Spain was a Spanish Nationalist commander during the Spanish Civil War. He is best-known for having coined the term "fifth column".-Early life:...
. He was vital to Franco personally as he was the general's link man to the UME.
In 1934 he was at the centre of a coup plot when plans were put in place for Anslado to fly General Sanjurjo back from exile in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. The plan was for Sanjurjo to link up with Juan Yagüe
Juan Yagüe
Juan Yagüe y Blanco, 1st Marquis of San Leonardo de Yagüe was a Spanish army officer during the Spanish Civil War, one of the most important in the National side.-Early life:...
and to lead a coup. However whilst the plotters waited at Pedro Sainz Rodríguez
Pedro Sainz Rodríguez
Pedro Sainz Carlos Rodríguez was a Spanish writer, philologist, publisher and politician, an adviser to Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona and one of the main architects of the reign of Juan Carlos I of Spain and the Spanish transition to democracy...
's house word came through from Franco that the right was not yet ready and for the plan to be aborted. Galarza however remained a central figure in the conspiracies and, based as he was in the War Ministry in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, he was central in passing messages between the generals in the immediate run-up to the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
.
Government career
Galarza leading role in plotting the uprising and his good personal relationship with Franco ensured that he was able to secure government office after the civil war. He initially served as the under-secretary of the Presidencia del Gobeirno and in this role he was instrumental in keeping Franco in touch with the inner workings of government.On 5 May 1941 he was appointed Interior Minister as Franco moved to check the growing influence of Ramón Serrano Súñer
Ramón Serrano Súñer
Ramón Serrano Súñer , was a Spanish politician during the first stages of General Francisco Franco's dictatorship, the Spanish State, between 1938 and 1942, when he held the posts of President of the Political Junta Política of Falange Española Tradicionalista y de las JONS , and Interior and...
by adding leading anti-Falangists like Galarza to the cabinet. Following his appointment Galarza was the subject of numerous attacks in the Falangist press although he hit back by dismissing all the Falangist under-secretaries in his department, most notably Dionisio Ridruejo
Dionisio Ridruejo
Dionisio Ridruejo Jiménez was a Spanish poet and political figure within the Falange...
who had written a particularly scathing article against him. However it was Galarza's anti-Falangism that also proved his undoing as his close support of José Enrique Varela
José Enrique Varela
José Enrique Varela Iglesias was a Spanish military officer and Carlist noted for his role as a Nationalist commander in the Spanish Civil War.-Early career:...
led to his dississal in 1942. Franco feared the growing power of Varela who came to the fore as an opponent of Falangism when he resigned after Falangists attacked monarchists at the Basilica of Begoña
Basilica of Begoña
The Basilica of Begoña is a basilica in Bilbao, in Spain, dedicated to the patron saint of Biscay, the Virgin Begoña.The current parish priest is Jesús Francisco de Garitaonandia.-History:...
and sought to remove his supporters, including Galarza, from positions of influence.
Later years
Following his dismissal from the cabinet Galarza became associated with a group of monarchist dissidents on the fringes of Spain's political elite. In June 1943 he was one of a number of leading monarchists to lend their name to a manifesto sent to Franco calling on him to settle the constitutional questions by immediately restoring the monarchy. The plan was rejected however and Galarza was one of the signatories to be dismissed from the Cortes GeneralesCortes Generales
The Cortes Generales is the legislature of Spain. It is a bicameral parliament, composed of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate . The Cortes has power to enact any law and to amend the constitution...
for their involvement.