The Kidnapped Truth, The Mystery of Jesús de Galíndez (La Verdad Secuestrada, El Misterio de Jesús de Galíndez)

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Now, let's get on with the episode.

Welcome to another exciting episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories Podcast Season 5.

I'm Anthony your host and I'm thrilled to guide you through an experience where we combine

storytelling with the reading while listening or RWL method.

The result?

An amazing approach to enhance your Spanish learning.

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at podcast.lingomastery.com.

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Now let's explore this unfolding story step by step.

In the middle of the 20th century, the world was full of fear, change, and hope.

Many people had lost their homes and countries because of wars and dictators.

Among them was a man named Jesús de Galíndez, who carried his ideals and courage across

the ocean.

He was a scholar, a teacher, and a defender of freedom who believed that words could

stand against power.

His life joined three distant worlds, the vast country, the United States, and the Caribbean,

through one mission, to uncover the truth.

New York became the place where Galíndez rebuilt his life, surrounded by students, books,

ideas.

From there he looked at the world with the eyes of someone who had known both peace and

persecution.

He saw how leaders used fear to control their nations and he refused to stay silent.

His voice reached beyond classrooms, challenging injustice in distant lands and giving hope

to those who had none.

This is a journey of courage and danger of ideals that cost everything.

It begins in a quiet village and ends in a mystery that shook governments.

To understand Galíndez is to ask what it truly means to defend truth when silence

would be safer.

Episode 23

The Truth is Quastrated, the mystery of Jesús de Galíndez.

It will begin by saying that writing about Jesús de Galíndez Suárez results fascinating

because his life in flesh is one of the great tensions of the 20th century.

The fight of the individual faces the absolute power.

And although it was not Latin American, his story to the Basque country has been united

and to the Dominican Republic in a relationship of exile, resistance and search for justice.

And it is that Galíndez was a man of firm ideas, an intellectual committed with the truth

that lamentably paid a very high price to denounce corruption and brutality of a dictatorship.

His disappearance exposes the violence of authoritarian regimes, at the same time

that silence complies with democratic powers.

So telling his story is to rescue the memory of those who wrote that the word

was able to challenge fear.

This man named Madrid in 1915 but grew up in Amurrio, a small town in the Basque

due to his mother died a little after giving birth to him.

His childhood was in a deeply Catholic environment, where he learned the value of

effort and education.

Since very young he showed a curiosity intense by the political and justice, so he studied

right in Madrid and soon he became involved in the debates that agitated his generation.

Spain lived for years with vultures of the Second Republic, with a climate of

social and ideological ferventness that would mark its fate.

Galíndez sympathized with the Basque nationalism and with the ideal republicans, convinced

that the government and freedom were compatible with a modern and democratic Spain.

And when the Civil War was established in 1936 he had only 21 years.

The violence raced the nation and the Basque country became one of the most angry fronters.

Galíndez was in Madrid during the first months of the war, participating in

protection activities at the National Basque National Park, PNW, and arriving to

become the accessor of the General General of Prisiones.

In those years of hope he developed a profound ethical conviction, convinced that

the truth should be defended, even before the defeat.

But the defeat arrived.

In 1939 the French troops took power and began a long repression.

Thousands of republicans were executed in jail or forced to exile.

Galíndez was one of them.

His exile began in France, as many as many other Spanish refugees.

There he met the hungry, the dessert and the challenge, since it was interned

in the concentration camp of Bernet de Reyes, along with other refugees from the republican army.

A few months later he could escape.

He survived thanks to his dominion of the French and his legal and diplomatic abilities,

but soon he understood that Europe would not be a safe place, while fascism advanced.

With the Second World War in Ciernes, he decided to cross the Atlantic, due to

that America represented a promise of freedom and also the possibility of continuing

his fight from another shore.

That trip would change the rumble of his life forever.

He arrived first to the Dominican Republic and shortly after the United States, where

he reinvented as an academic and political activist.

He still had achieved the series of exile, in addition to a promise that was inevitable

with the memory of the defeated.

In the universities and intellectual circles North American found a new space to defend

the republican ideals and denounce the dictatures that, like the one in France, they opprimed

the people in the name of the Order and the Patriot.

In his new destination, the young Basque exiled would become a uncomfortable, rigorous

and brave voice, but he still did not imagine that his commitment to expose the truth

over another dictatorship, the general Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, in the Dominican Republic,

would conduct an intriguing and tragic destiny.

When he arrived to New York, Jesus de Galindes found a majestic city and contradictory,

a refuge for the exiled of the world and, at the same time, the power center of a country

that would soon become a global arbitral.

Then he began to build a new life, although he never had his sense of belonging

to the Basque country nor his commitment to the republican cause.

Being in the Grand Manzana, he made a doctorate in the University of Columbia, where

later he would be a professor.

Asimism or analytical intelligence, duality, and deep understanding of international conflicts

called the attention of his colleagues and students.

In those years, the United States has been with the fervor of its ideological disputes,

while in Europe it was recorded in the Second World War, thousands of political refugees

arrived with their own visions of the world.

Galindes integrated into the atmosphere of intense debates, collaborating with institutions

and organizations that had lived the hope of a free Spain, even being representative

of the Basque government and maintaining a close relationship with José Antonio Aguirre,

the legendary Cari, President Basco, with whom he shared the idea that the exile

should serve to preserve the memory and prepare the future.

His new life was a mixture of docency, research and political activism.

There, he translated documents, wrote in forms, and represented the interests of the Basque

exile before the United Nations.

Then they began to profile as an hope for the nations without you.

In his conferences, he spoke with serenity and, at his age, with a passion that was

contagious.

Many of his students remembered later his emphasis on ethics as a guide for political action,

because, for him, the power of legitimacy when he did not attend to justice and respect

human rights.

Despite having found certain stability, his exile condition was always accompanied.

He lived among two worlds, the security of the present and nostalgia of the lost father.

In his writings they perceive a deep melancholy and a constant consciousness of the

development.

However, that same distance gave him a more broad look on the international policy,

since from New York he observed how Latin America lived a series of dictators that

reproduced the same patterns of repression that he had known in Europe.

It was precisely because of it that his attention was directed towards the Dominican Republic.

There, Rafael Leonid Astrujillo, ruled from 1930 with Iron Man, controlling all

aspects of the national life through fear and propaganda.

Galindes, with his juridical and his diplomatic experience, began to study the

religious regime with a rigorous and unusual rigour for the time.

What for another was a distant Caribbean case for him represented a mirror of

authoritarianism that had devasted Spain, so he took it practically as something personal.

In parallel he continued his academic work.

In Colombia he won the respect of his colleagues for his capacity of analysis and his

domain of international relations.

His figure moved between the United States and diplomatic forums, always with the same

conviction that knowledge should be put into service of freedom.

He was not an academic isolated from the world as many others, but an intellectual

committed to his time.

In this way, at the end of the 1940s, his name began to be

most known in Latin American political circles.

This man published articles in English and Spanish, participated in debates on human rights

and was in contact with other exiliators who shared his concern for the expansion

of the dictatorship in the continent.

And in that network of contacts, information and intellectual resistance, his figure

began to incomodate some sectors that preferred silence.

Now, at the beginning of the 1950s, Jesus de Galindes had become an expert

recognized in the Caribbean court, and his interest in the Dominican Republic

was transformed into an extensive investigation about the political and social structure

of the regime of the United States.

In fact, during years, he copied documents, he interviewed Dominican exiliators,

and analyzed official sources with a precision of a lawyer, and the sensitivity

of a witness of the despotism.

Fruto de ese trabajo surgió su obra más conocida que a su vez fue su tesis doctoral,

titulada, la era de Trujillo, un estudio casuístico de dictadura espanoamericana,

y publicada en 1956.

En aquel libro, Galindes no se limitaba a describir la figura del dictador, puesto

que también examinaba cómo Trujillo había logrado tejer una red de control absoluto,

basada en el miedo, la corrupción y el culto a la personalidad.

El mismo tiempo mostraba cómo la propaganda estatal convertía al gobernante en un ser casi

divino, y cómo los mecanismos se represión, desde la censura hasta la desaparición forzada

y al asesinato político, aseguraban la obediencia de toda una nación.

Su análisis era tan minucioso que dejaba en evidencia las complicidades de funcionarios

extranjeros, empresas y gobiernos que se beneficiaban del régimen.

El impacto de ese investigación fue inmediato.

En los círculos académicos, su obra fue considerada, una porte pionero al estudio

de las dictaduras contemporáneas.

Sin embargo, en el entorno Trujillo, el libro fue interpretado como una frente a personal

al benefactor de la patria.

La embajada dominicana en Washington protestó y trató de desacreditarlo, mientras los

servicios secretos del régimen comenzaron a seguir más de cerca sus movimientos.

Trujillo por su parte, acostumbrado a eliminar a sus enemigos dentro y fuera de sus fronteras,

lo considero un traidor peligroso.

Galindes era consciente del riesgo, pero no se retractó.

Continuó enseñando en Colombia y asistiendo conferencias donde denunciaba las violaciones

de derechos humanos cometidas por el régimen dominicano.

Esto más escuchaba su mensaje, más se multiplicaban las advertencias en cubiertas.

Los ciertos que el gobierno de Trujillo disponía de una extensa retespía y colaboradores

en el extranjero, incluyendo en Estados Unidos, donde el dictador había invertido

grandes sumas de dinero y mantenía relaciones con sectores políticos y empresariales.

En ese entorno tenso, Galindes trabajaba con discreción, aunque sus hallegados notaban

su creciente preocupación.

Su carácter reservado lo llevaba a compartir poco sobre sus temores, pero algunas

cartas y testimonios posteriores sugieren que sabía que estaba siendo vigilado.

Aún así, continuó escribiendo artículos y preparando conferencias sobre el papel

del totalitarismo en América Latina.

Creía firmemente que el silencio equivaleía a complicidad, y que en la verdad debía

quedar registrada, aunque las consecuencias fueran graves.

Entonces el dictador dominicano intensificó su campaña internacional de auto promoción,

organizando recepciones, financiando publicaciones y buscando apoyo en Washington.

En este contexto, el libro de Galindes representaba una amenaza para su imagen pública,

claro está, y el régimen ya había eliminado opositores en México, Cuba y Guatemala,

por la que la idea de silenciarlo no parecía imposible.

Mientras tanto en Nueva York, la vida del académico parecía tranquila, pero en los meses

previos a su desaparición, su círculo más cercano comenzó a notar signos de inquietud.

Algunos amigos recordaron después que había mencionado sentirse seguido en las calles

y haber recibido llamadas extrañas.

La noche del 12 de marzo de 1956 Jesús de Galindes salió de su departamento Nueva York

después de dictar su clase habitual en la Universidad de Colombia.

Tenía previsto regresar a casa en el metro, pero nunca llegó.

Su desaparición fue inmediata y desconcertante.

El profesor Vasco de vida metódica y carácter reservado parecía verse desvanecidos

sin dejar rastro.

Su ausencia alarmó a colegas y amigos, que denunciaron el hecho ante la policía de Nueva York.

Pronto el caso trascendió el ámbito académico y se convertió en un asunto internacional.

La investigación inicial fue confusa.

No había signos de violencia ni testigos claros.

Pero, con el paso de las semanas comenzaron a surgir indicios inquietantes.

La hipótesis más repetida señalaba que Galindes había sido secuestrado por agentes

al servicio de Rafael de Onidas Trujillo.

Según versiones posteriores, el dictador habría ordenado su captura en represalia por

la publicación del libro que lo dejaban evidenciante la opinión pública.

Y por haber afirmado que Ranfis, el hijo del dictador, no era realmente tal.

El supuesto operativo fue tan audaz como Inverossimine.

Se dice que Galindes fue drogado en Nueva York y trasladado en avioneta hasta la República

Dominicana, donde fue interrogado, torturado de las peores maneras imaginables y asesinado.

Aunque la versión parecía propia de una novela de espionaje, pronto surgieron elementos

que le daban credibilidad, como los testimonios confidenciales que revelaron detalles

e incluso aseguraron que, luego de asesinarlo, incineraron el cuerpo y lo arrojaron a los

tiburones, algo que, por supuesto, nunca fue corroborado.

El caso atrajo la atención del FBI, del Departamento de Estado y de los medios estadounidenses,

que comenzaron a cuestión a la influencia de Trujillo en territorio norteamericano.

¿Quieres saber lo más impactante?

Según los archivos del FBI, Galindes colaboró con la inteligencia militar estadounidense

y con el propio FBI, antes establecerse Nueva York, cuando aún formaba parte de la administración

dominicana.

¿Qué tal?

N obstante, la investigación avanzolentamente, en parte por la falta de pruebas directas

y por la presión política que el régimen caribeño ejercía a través de sus aliados.

Entrastante el gobierno dominicano, negaba toda implicación y calificaba las acusaciones

de propaganda comunista.

Y a medida que se conocía nuevos detalles, el caso Galindes se convertía en una muestra

de la impunidad del poder autoritario.

El hecho de que un académico pudiera desaparecer en Nueva York por criticar a un dictador

latinoamericano, causó indignación en todo el mundo.

Con el tiempo su figura empezó a ser vista como la de un martir de la libertad intelectual,

y a pesar de los esfuerzos diplomáticos, el crimen jamás fue resuelto y su cuerpo nunca

apareció.

Tras la desaparición de Galindes, el silencio se convertió en una forma de castigo y una

estrategia de poder.

Diversos investigadores, periodistas y diplomáticos intentaron esclarecer los hechos, pero

chocaron contra una red in que hubrimientos que protegía el régimen de Trujillo.

Con el tiempo varios testigos confirmaron que agentes dominicanos habían participado

en la operación y que Trujillo había seguido el caso personalmente.

La versión más aceptada sostiene que Galindes fue trasladado a Santo Domingo y ejecutado

poco después de llegar, aunque las circunstancias exactas siguen siendo un misterio.

Algunos relatos indican que fue interrogado en la finca del propio dictador, otros que

murió una base militar.

El único seguro es que desapareció sin dejar rastrofísico, y que su nombre quedó

asociado para siempre con la lucha contra la impunidad.

El impacto de su muerte fue grande.

Para el exilio español representó la pérdida de una de sus voces más lucidas y comprometidas.

En la República Dominicana, su caso alentó el descontento entre sectores, que ya veían

con recelo el poder absoluto de Trujillo.

En Estados Unidos provocó un debate sobre los límites de la soberanía y la responsabilidad

moral de las democracias ante las dictaduras aliadas.

Durante los años siguientes, varios libros y documentales reconstruyeron el caso, entre

ellos Galindes, de Manuel Vasquez Montalban, que décadas más tarde inspiraría una película.

Hace el asesinato de Trujillo en 1961, algunos de sus antiguos colaboradores reconocieron

haber oído hablar del secuestro, aunque ninguno ofreció detalles concluyentes.

El régimen había destruido documentos y eliminado testigos.

En la actualidad, el caso Galindes representa el costumano de la verdad, y sirve como advertencia

sobre el alcance del poder político, cuando se impone el miedo.

Tu figura se recuerda en universidades, estudios sobre derechos humanos, y memoriales

del país Vasco, representando al intelectual que se enfrenta el autoritarismo con las

armas del conocimiento y la ética.

Finalmente, su destino sigue sembrando preguntas en el presente, tales como, que precio

tiene la verdad cuando amenaz a los poderosos, y cuantas voces como la suya han desaparecido

en nombre del orden y la estabilidad.

Pasar en Jesús de Galindes es recordar que la memoria es también una forma de justicia,

y que callar frente al abuso, perpetuar el poder de los verducos.

This has been the 23rd episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast season 5.

La verdad secuestrada, el misterio de Jesús de Galindes.

What do you think really happened to this man?

What are your thoughts on the false disappearances during the dictatorship?

The following is a section of questions for you to test your knowledge on a story, to

make sure that you understand everything.

Are you ready?

Let's start.

Question 1.

Donde creció Jesús de Galindes.

Question 2.

¿Por qué tu avoc exiliarse de España?

Question 3.

¿En qué universidad enseñó en Estados Unidos?

Question 4.

¿Qué é dictadura investigó y crítico en su libro más famoso?

Question 5.

¿Qué ocurrió con Jesús de Galindes en 1956?

¿Córenia idea what the answers are?

Let's hear them now.

Answer for question 1.

Donde creció Jesús de Galindes?

¿En Amurrio en el país vasco?

¿En Amurrio en el vasco?

Answer for question 2.

¿Por qué tu avoc exiliarse de España?

¿Por qué apoyaba el gobierno republicano y fue perseguido tras la victoria franquista?

Because he supported the Republican government and was persecuted after Franco's victory.

Answer for question 3.

¿Por qué universidad enseñó en Estados Unidos?

En la universidad de Colombia en Nueva York.

At Columbia University in New York.

Answer for question 4.

¿Qué dictadura investigó y crítico en su libro más famoso?

La dictadura de Rafael Leonidas Trujillo en la República Dominicana.

The dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo in the Dominican Republic.

Answer for question 5.

¿Qué ocurrió con Jesús de Galindes en 1956?

Disappareció misteriosamente Nueva York y se cree que fue sequestrado por orden de Trujillo.

He mysteriously disappeared in New York and is believed to have been kidnapped by Trujillo's

order.

Now time for the summary of the story.

Jesús de Galindes was a Spanish man who believed deeply in justice and freedom.

During the Spanish Civil War he worked for the government that defended democracy.

When that government lost he had to leave Spain to escape danger.

He lived first in France and later moved to the United States where he became a teacher

and lawyer.

In New York he taught at Columbia University and studied many political systems.

He focused on the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic, writing a book

that explained how fear and control kept Trujillo in power.

His research made many people admire him but it also made him a target for those who

wanted to silence him.

One night in 1956 after finishing a class Galindes disappeared.

Investigations suggested that Trujillo's man kidnapped him and took him to the Dominican

Republic where he was killed.

His body was never found and the truth was hidden for years.

Green this became a symbol of courage and honesty.

His life reminds us of telling us the truth can be dangerous but silence can be worse.

His example continues to inspire people to speak up against injustice and defend freedom

wherever they live.

Another episode has come to an end but your Spanish learning journey is just getting started.

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