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And Don Juan Carlos accepted to be the successor
In March of 1968 the Prince explained the interioridades of the succession to the ambassador of EE. UU. that returned to Washington
DON JUAN FELT sad and pensativo and soon it agreed in which, if there were no alternative, his son had to reject the succession
EDUARDO MARTÍN OF POZUELO - 29/08/2005
As he could not be of another form, the Spanish personage who more interest woke up in the governments of the United States from beginnings of the Sixties was Don Juan Carlos. In fact, there is conversation or no detail about the present monarch who does not appear in some filed secret document in EE. UU., like
the memorandum of conversation of 4 of April of 1968. The case is that immediately before leaving his position in Spain, Duke ambassador was received by the Prince who did not let pass the opportunity to transmit to EE. UU. his vision of the complex transition that began to guess. It is obvious that the Prince knew that everything what said to Duke would arrive shortly at the White House, as it happened.
The 28 of March of 1968, Don Juan Carlos received solo in the Zarzuela to Angier Biddle Duke, ambassador of the United States in Spain that was going to be replaced by Robert F. Wagner. Duke arrived at the palace on the six from afternoon and the dialogue extended during fifty minutes.
The encounter, according to explained Duke to Washington, passed as it follows: "After an interchange of personal observations, I mentioned my other visits of goodbye as ambassador and commented that it had maintained a conversation of half an hour with the Head of the State. Prince Juan Carlos repaired in this last observation, happening to indicate that their conversations with Franc always used to be of the same duration. He said that Frank he had dealed with to him paternonal form, advising to him always of very friendly and good natured way, although without expressing themselves in fact of conclusive form. Consequently, he added to Juan Carlos, at no moment got to know accurately in what situation was he from the political point of view. On the one hand, Franc indicated to him that it behaved like a loyal son but, on the other hand, and more recent, Frank it had insisted to him on the circumstance that Juan Carlos was now thirty years old, was independent person totally about his own decisions and in case of seting out a determined objective, had indeed to make an effort to reach it ".
According to Duke, Juan Carlos told him that he had responded to Franc "that, if alternative occurred him on the matter, was clear that first he was its father (in the successory line) and who, therefore, would not follow the advice of Franc to compete by the same position".
The Prince explained to Duke next that, however, "would not perhaps be precise to confront election or alternative some" since it had said to him to Franc - Juan said Carlos-who "the solution of the successory problem was into the hands of the Head of the State before its death since in opposite case the monarchy never would return to Spain. It had urged to Franc to fulfill this promise while he lived ".
Don Juan Carlos added that Frank, in answer to the previous thing, it had asked to him if, in case of being he the chosen one, would accept the successor position. "Juan Carlos said to Duke that had responded to him affirmatively that if Frank, the Regency Council, Cortes, etc, wanted to him and any other alternative did not exist, he would accept" and stressed the ambassador "who felt that of such circumstances his to have he would consist of accepting the call and that could not reject it".
Don Juan Carlos explained that when his father, Don Juan, Felipe was in Spain "for the baptism of his son, there were counted his conversations to him with Franc and that had said to him to its father who if personal election were offered to him, was a question, but that, if in fact he were designated by means of the anticipated constitutional process, did not see more alternative than the one to fulfill his to have. Its father - Don Juan said Carlos- had felt at the beginning of some shocked way, soon sad and pensativo and, finally, it declared to be in agreement in which if another alternative did not mediate, Don Juan Carlos would not have to reject the succession. Its father - Don Juan reiterated Carlos-agreed in which if it rejected the call, probably Spain would not resort to the father and the monarchy never would return. Nevertheless, Don Juan, even being in agreement on the question, had affirmed that personally it thought that Frank almost surely it would not designate indeed to Don Juan Carlos like successor. On the matter, the Prince explained
"that his father thought that Frank some would not announce election before its death".
The heir asked to him Duke how he saw the succession. "I responded - he related Duke-that he thought that if Frank he unexpectedly died without to have adopted measures on the succession one would open to a phase of commotion and social and political sense of expectancy in whose context that was in possession of the authentic means and influences would probably incline to give fulfillment the aimed thing; that is to say, to call to Don Juan to the throne ". Although Juan Carlos did not discard that the option pointed by the ambassador could finish being reality, the then Prince remembered Duke, always according to the declassified documents, that his father was exiliado and who it supposed an objective difficulty to catch the political realities of Spain.
Then Duke asked to him if it did not think that the "Armed Forces, worried about safeguard of the law and the order, would press please in a fast, clear and conclusive solution" and if it also did not think that, being based on the same impulse, the same Armed Forces would return to the pointed solution, the legal solution.
Don Juan Carlos thought that it was possible, but added that it was not absolutely convinced that the Armed Forces in block went to advance in such direction. "Doubtlessly - say-some of the most veteran leaders would tend to advance by this route, but - it added-the Armed Forces grew. Without explaining this observation, Don Juan Carlos continued to indicate that unfortunately such circumstance was the reason that for Franc importance was from the Maxima of designating him now ", although, however, it was not had it jeopardize. "it had not said yes - it explained the future King-but either it had not said not". But the Prince judged that Frank he needed to solve the question, to go to Cortes and to announce to him to him like successor to the throne.
Don Juan Carlos said to him to Duke that the succession model had to happen to name a government president, in this White Carrero case, and autumn to announce to him like successor to the Headquarters of the State, but lamented the resistance of Franc to give its conformity to a plan in accordance with a calendar. According to he commented to him to Duke, the Prince thought that if Frank died without naming his successor him, the monarchy would not have anything to do although his father gave returns him to the idea of a referendum to choose successor, who "evidently would not work".
When finishing Don Juan Carlos almost said to him to the ambassador who four military commands of high graduation had gone to speak with him expressing itself in terms so extremely critical of Franc and the regime that had been forced to request to them that they kept silence on the matter. The Prince said to him that the military were very displeasures by the inactivity and lack of dynamism of the government, and anxious before the future.