Testimony of Antonio Sastre López, interview with Scott Boehm and Miriam Duarte; April 1, 2009
Contributor
University of California, San Diego Boehm, Scott Duarte, Miriam Asociación de Ex-presos y Represaliados Políticos Asociación para la Recuperación de la Memoria Histórica Federación Estatal de Foros por la Memoria Sastre López, Antonio
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Sastre López, Antonio
Description
Sastre López nació en Madrid el 11 de septiembre de 1923. Su padre era carpintero y, aunque sus padres se inclinaban políticamente hacia la izquierda, no eran miembros de ningún partido. Uno de sus recuerdos durante la Guerra Civil es el de un miliciano republicano que se dirigía al frente y le decía "vamos a luchar por ti.” Durante la guerra Antonio y su hermana fueron evacuados de Madrid y refugiados con una familia en Cataluña. Después de la guerra, la pésima situación económica de su familia lo llevó a buscar trabajo a la edad de quince años. Recuerda un caso en el que unos soldados falangistas entraron a su casa y usaron violencia física contra su madre y su padre, llamándolos "rojos." Antonio se unió al Partido Comunista en 1939 y se dedicó a actividades clandestinas mientras continuaba en su trabajo como obrero metalúrgico. En 1944 ingresó al servicio militar obligatorio. Describe cómo transportaba ejemplares de Mundo Obrero debajo del asiento del automóvil que conducía para un gobernador militar franquista. Detenido y torturado en 1947, fue condenado a muerte. Por un vínculo familiar, Eva Perón intercedió en favor de Antonio y su sentencia fue reducida a veinte años. Estuvo preso un total de seis años en Ocaña y luego en Burgos. Antonio describe la vida en prisión, incluidas las oportunidades educativas de la "Universidad de Burgos," donde muchos compañeros de prisión eran profesionales que impartían cursos en todo tipo de materias. Antonio aprendió francés en la prisión de Burgos. También colaboró en la elaboración del periódico clandestino manuscrito que circulaba entre los presos. En otra anécdota se metió en líos en Burgos por recitar poemas memorizados de Antonio Machado y Federico García Lorca. Liberado en marzo de 1953, Antonio describe problemas para adaptarse a la vida en la España franquista después de seis años de prisión. A pesar de su formación política militante, Antonio pudo construir un taller de automóviles con cuarenta empleados, solo para perder el negocio durante la transición a la democracia. Antonio pasó a la clandestinidad parcial durante el intento de golpe de Estado de 1981 (23-F). Aplaude los esfuerzos recientes para restaurar la memoria histórica del período franquista. Sastre López was born in Madrid on September 11, 1923. His father was a carpenter, and although his parents leaned to the left politically, they were not active party members. One of his earliest memories during the Civil War is of a republican militiaman on his way to the front telling him "we're going to fight for you." During the war Antonio and his sister were evacuated from Madrid and placed with a family in Catalonia. After the war his family's dire economic situation caused him to seek work at the age of fifteen. He remembers an instance when Falangist soliders forced their way into the family home, and used physical violence against his mother and father, calling them "rojos." Antonio joined the Communist Party in 1939, and engaged in underground activities while continuing in his job as a metal worker. In 1944 he entered compulsory military service. In one anecdote he describes transporting copies of Mundo Obrero under the seat of the car he chauffeured for a Francoist military governor. Detained and tortured in 1947, he was sentenced to death. Through a family connection Eva Peron interceded on Antonio's behalf and his sentence was reduced to twenty years. He was incarcerated a total of six years at Ocaña and then at Burgos. Antonio describes life in prison, including the educational opportunities of the "University of Burgos," where many fellow prisoners were professionals who taught courses in all manner of subjects. Antonio learned French while at Burgos prison. He also helped make the handwritten clandestine newspaper which was circulated among the prisoners. In another anecdote he got into trouble at Burgos for reciting memorized poems by Antonio Machado and Federico Garcia Lorca. Released in March 1953, Antonio describes problems adjusting to life in Francoist Spain after six years of imprisonment. Despite his militant political background Antonio was able to build an automobile shop with forty employees, only to lose the business during the transition to democracy. Antonio went into partial hiding during the coup attempt of 1981 (23- F). He applauds recent efforts to restore historical memory of the Francoist period Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego, La Jolla, 92093-0175 (https://lib.ucsd.edu/sca) Testimony of the Spanish Civil War and the Francoist dictatorship Sastre López's testimony was recorded in Madrid Interviews in Spanish Sastre López, Antonio. Testimony of the Spanish Civil War and the Francoist Dictatorship. University of California, San Diego, 2009 Madrid, Spain : Spanish Civil War Memory Project
Type
moving image
Format
3 video files : digital, sound, color
Identifier
ark:/20775/bb13321211
Language
Spanish
Subject
Civil War (Spain : 1936-1939) Oral history Nonfiction films Interviews Communism Political prisoners History Coup d'état (Spain : 1981) Personal narratives-Spanish Madrid (Spain) Spain Catalonia (Spain) Burgos (Spain)
Place
Madrid (Spain) Spain Catalonia (Spain) Burgos (Spain)
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