What do the 23-F papers leave unresolved?

MadridOne of the conclusions from the declassification of documents related to 23-F is that it has not served to resolve the main mysteries surrounding the coup attempt. Much of the information they contained was already known, and within the documentation, no content that could be relevant to providing definitive answers has been found. Let's review some of the aspects left open by the papers.

Armada's government

Some of the unresolved questions concern "the government of national salvation" that General Alfonso Armada intended to establish when he entered Congress on February 23, 1981. There are no details related to the list of names of the hypothetical ministers, which even included socialists and communists. How was this proposed council of ministers formed? The declassification has not revealed how many of those people knew what was being planned.

Calls from Congress

One of the elements that has never been consultable – and it's unclear whether the records have survived these 45 years – are the calls made from Congress during the assault. As became known after the event, Francisco Laína, president of a provisional government of undersecretaries during 23-F, ordered the executive's delegate at Telefónica, Julio Camuñas, to intercept communications from the lower house, from where calls were made to the Royal Palace or to other coup plotters, such as General Jaime Milans del Bosch. There is no trace of these telephone interceptions in the declassified archives, nor any specifics about Laína's actions during the critical moments.

The king's and military's conversations

Part of the declassified documents are apocryphal – they are not signed and lack a heading identifying their origin. One of these unnamed files provides a virtually hour-by-hour account of events. Between 8 PM and 9 PM, the text states that Juan Carlos I "reaffirms" his decision to send (he leaves at 10:35 PM) a communication to all captain generals ordering "the maintenance of the constitutional order." However, contact had already been established with the military commanders of each territory before this, without the conversations being disclosed in the declassification. There are also conversations between Laína and the Royal Palace for which there are no details.

Financial and civil support

Another declassified informational note, dated May 10, 1983, is titled "Financial support for those involved in 23-F" and states that "a group of businessmen, friends, and sympathizers" of the coup plotters "will form a common fund every month" to mitigate the negative economic consequences that their participation had for its protagonists. It specifically mentions a prominent family whose surnames have been redacted for data protection. There are no further unpublished details about the civil support that the coup plotters received before, during, or after. Another note reports on far-right civilians who were aware of the plot, but their names also appear redacted.

The previous conspiracy

The declassification has confirmed that members (at least six) of the Spanish secret services were involved or knew that 23-F was being planned. Beyond the conclusions of the subsequent investigation with the testimonies of those involved, the documentation also does not detail how they conspired, what links they had with the coup plotters, nor does it delve into the gestation of the coup attempt.