Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Nixon Worked to Shape a Post-Franco Spain, New Tapes Show

Graham Keeley

   MADRID - The familiar, gruff voice speaks from the past.
   President Richard Nixon is heard on tape discussing with a series of
   top advisers about how to ensure Spain did not lurch into anarchy after
   the death of General Francisco Franco.
   Recordings originally made by Nixon while he was in the White House
   show how the U.S. president unsuccessfully tried to persuade the
   longtime Spanish ruler to pass the reigns of power onto a stable
   successor before he died.
   The year was 1971 and General Franco was suffering from Parkinson's
   Disease but he stayed in power until his death in 1975.
   The tapes, which were stored by the Nixon Presidential Library and
   recently published in Spain by the newspaper El PaÃs, offer a
   fascinating insight into how the U.S. president at the time tried to
   shape Spanish history, and the kingdom's relations with Washington --
   at least in the short term.
   Analysts said Washington was far more interested in ensuring access to
   U.S. military bases in Spain than ushering in a new era of democracy.
   When the then-Prince Juan Carlos visited the White House in 1971, Nixon
   advised the future head of state to make law and order his priority
   when General Franco died.
   Nixon said Juan Carlos should play on his youth and personal charisma
   to convince Spaniards that things would change once he was king,
   according to State Department notes of the exchange.
   In its transition to democracy after Franco's death, Spain did
   experience turbulence that included a dramatic but failed coup in 1981,
   but never descended into the chaos that Nixon had dreaded.

.