Testimony of Francisco Dueñas Molina, Interview with Scott Boehm and Miriam Duarte; July 1-2, 2009
Contributor
Asociación de Ex-presos y Represaliados Políticos Asociación para la Recuperación de la Memoria Histórica Federación Estatal de Foros por la Memoria Boehm, Scott Duarte, Miriam Dueñas Molina, Francisco University of California, San Diego
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Dueñas Molina, Francisco
Description
Dueñas Molina was born in Madrid on October 20, 1950, to a close-knit middle-class family with leftist political leanings. He was ridiculed at school for not being baptized and because his parents were not married by the church. His mother was routinely taken in for questioning by armed Guardia Civil agents because of her status as an unmarried mother. As a boy his family secretly listened to Radio Español Independiente via short wave. A mechanic by trade, Dueñas was detained by police in April 1969; interrogated and tortured, he received a sentence of two years for handling illegal propaganda. He describes life at Carabanchel, including the general freedom of expression allowed therein. After his release from prison Dueñas performed his military service in the navy, being stationed for a time in the Canary Islands. Dueñas describes the celebrations among his friends once the news of Franco's death came, likening it to a rebirth. He relates his role in a quixotic project during the 1970s to pick up a 1940s armored Cadillac in Romania and driving it back to Spain for the use of Communist political candidate Santiago Carrillo. Finally, he provides some commentary on the post-Franco transition period, especially vis-à-vis the Communist Party in Spain, and efforts to recover the historical memory of repression and atrocities committed during the Francoist period Dueñas Molina nació en Madrid el 20 de octubre de 1950 en el seno de una familia de clase media muy unida y con tendencias políticas de izquierda. Fue ridiculizado en la escuela por no estar bautizado y porque sus padres no estaban casados por la iglesia. Su madre era detenida habitualmente por agentes armados de la Guardia Civil para ser interrogada debido a su condición de madre soltera. De niño su familia escuchaba a escondidas Radio Español Independiente por onda corta. . Mecánico de profesión, Dueñas fue detenido por la policía en abril de 1969; interrogado y torturado, recibió una sentencia de dos años por manejo de propaganda ilegal. Describe la vida en Carabanchel, incluida la libertad de expresión general permitida allí. Tras su salida de prisión Dueñas realizó el servicio militar en la marina, estando destinado durante un tiempo en Canarias. Dueñas describe las celebraciones entre sus amigos una vez que llegó la noticia de la muerte de Franco, comparándola con un renacimiento. Relata su papel en un proyecto quijotesco durante la década de 1970 para recoger un Cadillac blindado de la década de 1940 en Rumania y llevarlo de regreso a España para el uso del candidato político comunista Santiago Carrillo. Finalmente, realiza algunos comentarios sobre el período de transición posfranquista, especialmente frente al Partido Comunista en España, y los esfuerzos por recuperar la memoria histórica de la represión y las atrocidades cometidas durante el período franquista. 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 Dueñas Molina's testimony was recorded in Madrid, Spain Interviews in Spanish Dueñas Molina, Francisco. Testimony of the Spanish Civil War and the Francoist Dictatorship. University of California, San Diego, 2009 Madrid, Spain : Spanish Civil War Memory Project 2009
Type
moving image
Format
7 video files : digital, sound, color
Identifier
ark:/20775/bb3653012f
Language
Spanish
Subject
History Civil War (Spain : 1936-1939) Oral history Communism Interviews Personal narratives-Spanish Nonfiction films Partido Comunista de España Cárcel de Carabanchel (Madrid, Spain) Spain Madrid (Spain)
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