Fernando Castiella

Fernando María Castiella y Maíz (Bilbao, 1907 - Madrid, 1976) was a Spanish politician, diplomat and minister of Foreign Affairs (1957-1969) during Franco's regime.

He studied Law and hold the Doctorate at the University of Madrid and did postdoctoral specializing stays at the Universities of Paris, Cambridge and Geneva and at Hague Academy of International Law. He was appointed "Catedrático" of Public International Law at the University of Madrid in 1935. A Catholic activist during Second Republic, he often wrote in "El Debate" about international issues and was vice president of the Catholic Students Confederation.

When the Civil War started he fled from Madrid and reached the Nationalist zone, joining the Nationalist Army as official of the General Staff. He joined also the Blue Division during Second World War. With José María de Areilza, he wrote "Reivindicaciones de España" (Madrid: Instituto de Estudios Políticos, 1941), that drafted an expansionist program over French African colonies. That book was written when Nazi Germany was on the top of its power and Franco considered entering war on Hitler's side.

He promoted the establishment of the Faculty of Political Science and Economics of the University of Madrid and he was his first dean. He was appointed ambassador to Peru (1948-1951) and to the Holy See (1951-1957), where he negotiate the Concordat of 1953.

Franco appointed him as minister of Foreign Affairs on February 25, 1957. He made a great effort for improving the relationship with the Western world. He tried with no success to become member of NATO and associate member of the European Common Market. He tried also to improve the terms of the defense and cooperation appointments with the United States but also with little success. He succeed, nevertheless, to be one of the co-founder countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (1961). Politically moderate aperturist, in 1961, he wrote a draft of bill of religious freedom, although it was not passed until 1967. He tried vehemently getting Gibraltar back to Spanish sovereignty claiming the case was eligible for a decolonization process. After being minister, he was member of the Kingdom's Council and member of the Parliament.

Bibliography

*Espadas, Manuel: "Franquismo y política exterior", Madrid: Rialp, 1988
*Tusell, Javier; Avilés, Juan; Pardo, Rosa: "La política exterior de España en el siglo XX", Madrid: Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia; Biblioteca Nueva, 2000