Manuel Gutierres Melyado Spanish military leader. Date of Birth: 30.04.1912 Country: Spain

1. Biography of Manuel Gutierrez Mellado
2. Appointment as Military Chief by King Juan Carlos I
3. The Dramatic Events of February 23, 1981

Biography of Manuel Gutierrez Mellado

Manuel Gutierrez Mellado was a Spanish military leader and honorary General Captain. Born into a middle-class family, he became an orphan at the age of eight. In 1929, he entered the Main Military Academy in Saragossa, where Francisco Franco served as director. After graduating from the academy in 1933, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in the artillery. At the beginning of the Spanish Civil War in July 1936, he and his regiment rebelled against the republican government, and he was arrested and imprisoned. He managed to escape and sought refuge in a foreign embassy in Madrid, eventually making his way to nationalist-controlled territory. From there, he secretly returned to republican territory, carrying out espionage activities until the end of the war. For his successful work, he was promoted to the rank of captain in 1938.

After the war, Gutierrez Mellado continued his military service and obtained a diploma from the General Staff College in 1942. He rose through the ranks, becoming a major and teaching at the Artillery Training School. He specialized in intelligence and worked in the General Staff, translating from English. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1957 and colonel in 1965. Over time, he became more critical of the Franco regime. In 1970, he became a brigadier general and held important positions in the Higher Center for National Defense Studies (CESEDEN) and the General Staff. He was a collaborator of liberal-minded General Lieutenant Manuel Dies-Alegría. In 1973, he became a divisional general, and in 1975, he became the commander of the troops in Ceuta, Africa, and the government delegate in the region. Following the death of Generalissimo Franco in the same year, his military career advanced rapidly.

Appointment as Military Chief by King Juan Carlos I

Young King Juan Carlos I, who had just ascended to the throne, needed a military leader capable of carrying out military reforms to transform the Francoist army into the armed forces of a modern democratic state. In March 1976, Gutierrez Mellado was promoted to lieutenant general and appointed as the General Captain (commander) of the Seventh Military District with headquarters in Valladolid. In June 1976, he became the Chief of the General Staff, and in September of the same year, he was appointed as the First Deputy Prime Minister for Defense Affairs under Adolfo Suarez. He retained this position after the general elections on June 15, 1977, until 1981. As part of the reform of the armed forces, General Gutierrez Mellado initiated the creation of the Ministry of Defense in 1977, which consolidated the previously separate ministries of defense, navy, and air force. From 1977 to 1979, in addition to his role as the First Deputy Prime Minister, he also served as the Minister of Defense (subsequent heads of the ministry were civilians). He promoted liberal military leaders to key positions, disregarding the tradition of appointments based on seniority. He reorganized the General Staff and established a new intelligence organization. He was an advocate for depoliticizing the armed forces. His actions were strongly criticized by the most loyal supporters of the Franco regime, who accused him of being a Freemason and a double agent during the civil war. If these accusations had any basis, the general would not have been able to advance in his military career under Franco's regime.

The Dramatic Events of February 23, 1981

In January 1981, the Suarez government resigned. On February 23 of the same year, General Gutierrez Mellado was present at a session of the Cortes (parliament) where a vote was taking place for the new Prime Minister. It was on this day that ultra-right-wing military officers chose to attempt a coup, led by Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Tejero, who, at the head of a Civil Guard unit, stormed the Cortes building and ordered everyone present to lie on the floor. Only Suarez, General Gutierrez Mellado, and Communist leader Santiago Carrillo refused to obey. Gutierrez Mellado demanded that Tejero immediately surrender his weapons, but he refused to comply. These events were broadcasted on television, making the confrontation between the elderly, slender general and the rebels, who used physical force against him and could have shot him at any moment, one of the most dramatic moments of that day. It became a symbol of the courage of reformist supporters and the irreversibility of the democratic process. After the coup was suppressed, General Gutierrez Mellado withdrew from political activities but remained a significant public figure. In 1984, he became a permanent member of the State Council. Strongly influenced by the death of his friend's son due to drug addiction, he founded the Foundation for Aid against Drug Addiction (FAD) in 1986, with Queen Sofia as its honorary president. In May 1994, he was granted the exceptional honor of being appointed an honorary General Captain in recognition of his exceptional personal and professional merits. In October of the same year, King Juan Carlos I bestowed upon him the title of Marquis.

On December 15, 1995, General Gutierrez Mellado was traveling by car from Madrid to Barcelona to give a lecture to students on "Society and Corruption." On the way, he died in a car accident in Guadalajara. Gutierrez Mellado was described by his contemporaries as an excellent military strategist, calm, disciplined, and loyal to the instructions of the government. After his death, former Prime Minister Adolfo Suarez stated on television that the general was a "great soldier, devoted to Spain, the king, and democracy." The National University Institute for Studies on Peace, Security, and Defense was named after him.