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Letter from the President of the French Republic Charles De Gaulle to the President of the Generalitat Josep Tarradellas i Joan

Date
1961
Archive
Archive Montserrat Tarradellas i Macià (Monastery of Poblet)
Document type
Textual
Reference code
C14.4_INT_C0004_E003_C002
Link to the online document
Description

The letter sent by the president of the French Republic, Charles De Gaulle, to the president of the Generalitat in exile, Josep Tarradellas, in 1961, is a key witness of the diplomatic relations between Catalonia and France during the Franco regime. This document reflects the implicit recognition of the institutional legitimacy of the Generalitat by a European head of state, at a time when Catalonia did not have self-government. The correspondence shows Tarradellas’ strategy to keep the Catalan institution alive in the international arena, strengthening its role in the future democratic configuration of Europe. This diplomatic gesture by France is part of a context of the Cold War and European construction, where democratic memory and resistance to totalitarianism become shared values. The document is a fundamental piece for understanding Catalan institutional continuity and its connection with European ideals.