Anuario de Estudios Centroamericanos, Univ. Costa Rica, 12 (1): 139-144,1986

THE TARACENAFLORES COLLECTION INTHE BENSONLATIN AMERICAN COLLECTIONAT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS,RELATING TO CHURCHAND * STATEMATERIALS INGUATEMALA, 1945-54

Hubert J.Miller Department ofHistory Pan American University. Edinburgh Texas

to My first acquaintance with the Taracena Flores visits the Benson Collection, this paper will in as Collection (TFC) occurred in in 1959. survey themost significantmaterials the TFC At the time I was on a Smith-Mundt Student they relate to Church and statematters during the Exchange Grant, doing research on the presidencies of Juan Jose Arevalo Bermejo and Guatemalan Liberal Revolution of 1871 and the Jacobo Arbenz Guzman. administration (1873-1885). The University of Texas's acquisition of the to My main focus was the study of Church and state Collection dates back 1963, when Arturo relations during La Reforma (1871-1885), as the Taracena Flores contacted Prof. Richard Adams period is commonly known. While working in the about the university's interest in his Collection. At national archives and the cathedral archives in the time, Mr. Tarecena's eyesight was failing and , it was not unusual to run across he was interested in seeing that thematerials inhis references to imprints that had been published possession would be well preserved and made during La Reforma and were pertinent to my available to scholars studying Guatemala. His research interests. Unfortunately these materials contacts with University of Texas students frequently could not be located in the archives nor convinced him of the interest that institution had were they available in the Biblioteca Nacional. My in his country's history and influenced him to personal contacts in the city suggested I contact select The University of Texas, as a permanent Arturo Taracena Flores forhelp. Itwas a lead that home for his Collection (1). proved most helpful on any number of occasions In the words of Prof. Nettie Lee Benson duringmy stay in that country from July 1969 to "Arturo Taracena Flores is that rare type of book the following July. The fact thatMr. Taracena was collector that librarians of special research able to supply me most graciously with these collections prize but seldom expect to find" (2). needed imprints enabled me to fill gaps in my He loved his native country and formore than historical investigations. The use of thesematerials sixty years, he collected all imprints pertaining to - convinced me that he had a most rich collections Guatemala, on which he could lay his hands. The a collection I wanted to study in greater detail end result was a collection fo some five thousand when I had more time. Little did I realize at the books, an equal number of panphlets and time, that Iwould have that opportunity when the broadsides, periodicals, maps, newspaper clippings, Benson Latin American Collection acquired the programs, invitations, funeral announcements, entire Taracena Flores Collection. pictures and maps (3). The opportune moment to study the Collection Not only did Mr. Taracena collect imprintsbut at great length came in the summer of 1984 when he tried to obtain information on the authors of I received an NEH travel grant to spend a couple the imprint. This could include a picture of the of weeks in Austin to look into Church and state author and newspaper documents relating to the relations during the Arevalo-Arbenz writer. Needless to say, this enhances the value of administrations, 1945-54. Based on the study of the imprints for scholarly use. For instance, he the Collection under this grant and subsequent supplied extensive information on such key Guatemalan figures as Justo Rufino Barrios, Pedro (*) Presentado en el Southwestern Council of Latin Molina, Lorenzo Montufar, , Miguel American Studies March 28-30, 1985. Garcia Granados, Mariano Rosell y Arellano, Jose 140 ANUARIO DE ESTUDIOS CENTROAMERICANOS

Milla y Vidaurri, and others. He did work on the holdings in the Benson Latin the same for certain topics pertaining to his American Collection. Our focus is on TFC country's history, such as Central American imprints from 1945-1954, relating to Church and unionist moment in 1920, political parties and State issues. theirprograms and elections (4). TFC imprints authored by President Arevalo Mr. Taracena's collection of writings of are mainly two kinds: speeches and writings. His individual authors is very representative. He discourses include those he delivered prior to same on followed the policy in collecting materials becoming president and the ones he gave while all aspects of Guatemalan life-be they scientific, president. The first group mainly treats or same literary,politicat, social economic. At the pedagogical and philosophical subjects. Included time the Collection contains many valuable among his presidential addresses are his inaugural materials relating to other Central American speech in 1945 and reports he gave to congress. republics (5). Actually these are a very small sampling of his The focus of Mr. Taracena's work was on the numerous talks he gave during his presidency. years 1821 to 1962. To understand better the size Many of his other addresses can be located in the of the Collection, we need to compare it to other holdings of the Benson Collection. The same Gilberto Valenzuela's four volume Bibliografia is true for his writings; in fact, there are few guatemalteca covering the years 1821-1900, which imprints carrying the designation TFC. Again most lists 2,739 imprints, including books, pamphlets of Arevalo's published writings are available in the some same and broadsides. For the time span, the other Benson Collection holdings. over TEC has 3,000 imprints, not including The religious issue in the president's inaugural novenas calendarios, and books (6). address received scant attention. He repeated the The Collection is especially helpful to scholars conventional Liberal sentiments of the 19th for 20th century newspaper clippings during century; namely, the Catholic Church should not of periods crises, which the collector arranged engage in politics. Catholics who wish to improve according to subject matter or dates. Equally socio-economic conditions should do it, not are valuable his collection of short-lived literary, through the institutional Church, but through the religious, political and labor publications. These formation of political parties and the election of are not always complete but again Mr. Taracena's candidates committed to the desired changes. to efforts select representive and significant items Only two of Arevalo's writings are cited as TFC are verymuch in evidence (7). items. Both treat the topic of imperialism The entire TFC has been integrated into the confronting Latin America, especially Central Benson Latin American Collection. The only America. Of these the better known is his Fabula reference note to show it was of part the original del tiburon y las sardinas (1956). The other is Collection is the on designation TFC, that appears entitled Guatemala, la democracia y el imperio the card and on the item or catalogue imprint (1954). Both publication dates reflect the itself. the into the Integrating Collection overall ex-president's concern about U. S. involvement in Latin American holdings helps the researcher to the overthrow of the Arbenz administration in locate more easily materials in the Collection, that 1954. are to area of pertinent his/her investigation. Arevalo was a prolific writer and being a The TFC focuses more on 20th century teacher many of his earlier works focused on materials than on 19th items. The valuable century pedagogical and philosophical themes. Church and for the imprints Arevalo and Arbenz state issues are not primary concerns in these administrations demonstrate the assidiousness of publications. In fact, a reading of theseworks and Mr. Taracena in 20th collecting century imprints. his speeches leaves the impression that religious Here can be found printed presidential addresses, issues have a low priority. selected issues of a rather set Verbum, complete of Jacobo Arbenz became president in 1951. His issues of Accion Social Cristiana, broadsides and background was a military one and he was not a letters of pastoral Archbishop Mariano Rosell y speech maker or a writer as was the case with his Arellano. For a review of items in comprehensive predecessor. The TFC has only three of his the Collection with the beginning Arevalo addresses. Of importance to the Church and state to the researcher needs to presidency 1962, question is his address on May 1, 1953, theDay of consult Ann-Hartness-Kane's recently published the Workers, in which he was critical of MILLER: The Taracena Flores Collection 141

Archbishop Mariano Rossell y Arellano for raising The year 1945 witnessed the drafting of a new the issue of whenever the government constitution, which retained many of the attempted to bring about reforms. The fear of anti-clerical provisions of the 1879 one and President Arbenz's being a Communist had already introduced socio-economic reforms, similar to been voiced the previous year with the those in the Mexican Constitution of 1917. promulgation of the Law of Agrarian Reform. Broadsides auhored by Catholic lay groups Passage of the law aided the spread of rumors, protested the inclusion of the old Liberal which aroused fear about the expropriation of anti-religious articles and argued that true Church property. In his radio address of June 20, separation of Church and state requires that the the president sought to dispel the rumors by Church lawfully own property. There also was fear reminding his listeners that the agrarian reforms that the governmentmight restrict freedom of the have nothing to do with Church property. press, thereby adversly affecting publications by Furthermore, he pointed out that churches cannot Catholic groups. be expropriated since according to the Broadsides defending the government urged constitution they are national monuments. Despite Catholics to be calm and patient during the these references to Church issues, the president did con stitutional deliberationsNuestro Dario, a not give primary importance to them in his government mouthpiece, leveled attacks against presidential remarks. Frequently, theymerited at the Church and the clergy, which immediately a best only passing reference. The presidential brought a rebuttal from the archbishop in his talks of both Arevalo and Arbenz do not show Verbum, the official organ of the Church. was a that the relationship of Church and state Although the articles originally appeared in the major national problem. A different picture newspapers, they were frequently published later we at emerges when look the writings of the as broadsides. They were authored either by one archbishop and Catholic lay leaders. writer or a group of writers or at other times the Among the most valuable holdings in the TFC authors referred to themselves as "Defenders of are the broadsides. In these there is missing the the Church" or "Authentic Catholics". atmosphere of tranquility in Church and state The tempo of the battle of broadsides involving relations that characterized the presidential Church and state matters picked up in 1947. remarks. Here tranquility gave way to the battle of Defenders of the Church warned the people about the broadsides, especially when the issue of anti-Catholic attacks in the press and on radio. In a was Communism raised. The denunciations in the broadside authored by the "Cadets of: Christ", a broadsides leave the impression of developing Catolics were urged not to participate in over national hysteria the issue of Communism. manifestations supporting the government. There Here I can offer a only sampling of the valuable were additional warnings directed at Catholic collection of broadsides that Mr. Taracena workers, who in their unionizing effortswere told collected for the The TFC has a total of period. to adhere to the Church's social justice teachings 1.880 of these for the two terms. presidential and not be exploited by Communists. The was an The presidential campaign of 1944 ideal archbishop's own admonition to his flock not to time for broadsides. Arevalo used them to explain drag the Church into politics must have fallen on his "spiritual socialism". His opponents retaliated deaf ears. with charges that he had close ties with the Nazi movment. The remark refers to Arevalo's exile in The attacks on the Arevalo government were answered broadsides. of Argentina where therewere Nazi activities during by pro-government Many WWII. Other broadsides reminded their readers these accused the defenders of the Church of being reactionaries and .Women's were that the protection of freedom of religion would Falangists groups active in denunciations and be better guaranteed under Adrian Recinos, a especially making Catholics not to be misled conservative candidate, who was a Catholic and warning by reactionariers. To show that the 19th respected religious freedom. The broadsides century Church and state issue was far from a opposing the candidacy of Arevalo are Frequently dead, broadside that was a of Lorenzo reprints of newspaper editorials which expressed appeared reprint Montufar's Dualismo Montufar had traditional Catholic concerns and do not appear to imposible. been one of the chief architects of La Reforma in be favorably disposed to change, be that political or socio-economic. the 1870's and the Constitution of 1879. 142 ANUARIO DE ESTUDIOS CENTROAMERICANOS

According to him, the Church as an institution tactic and stressed the social doctrines of the could enjoy no juridical recognition. Churh in the fight against Communism. The The ensuing two witnessed a diminishing growing concern over Communism reflects the number of broadsides devoted to Church and state tacreased activities of Communist parties and conflicts. On the Catholic side, there were the leaders, who were very active in urban and rural usual complaints about attacks on religion. labor associations, women's movements and the Especially critical were the broadsides condemning educational area, just tomention a few. the insultshurled at the Church by students during The overthrow of the Arbenz administration in the Huelga de Dolores activities. The most serious 1954 became an opportune time for broadsides to bone of contention was the closing of the Catholic call for a new constitution thatwould provide full radio station, Pax, in . Both the protection of the rights of the Church. At the archbishop and Catholics inHuehuetenango sent a same time, the victory of Lieutenant Colonel message to President Arevalo complaining about Carlos Armas was viewed as the salvation the closing. from Communism. Some of their demands were In defense of the government, broadsides heeded in the passage of a new constitution in reiterated theirwarnings to the Catholics that they 1956 and in the Miguel Ydigoras Fuentes should not be misled by reactionaries. The people administration after the assassination of Castillo were assured that the Arevalo government had no Armas on July 26, 1957. intention of attacking their religion. During the period under review, there were The year 1950 was an election year and this close to one hundred broadsides touching an issues made the issue of the Church in politics a very involving Church and state issues, chief of which pressing one despite the warnings of the was Communism, especially under the Arbenz archbishop not to drag the Church into politics. government. The TFC imprintsare very valuable in Broadsides authored by Catholic laymen came out showing the intensity of the debate and may well in support of General Miguel Ydigoras Fuentes have contributed to the overthrow of Arbenz in who pitched his campaign to gain Catholic the summer of 1957. support, even promising, if elected, to send an Other valuable sources in the study of Church ambassador to the Vatican. and state relations from 1945-1954 in the TFC are With the election of Jacobo Arbenz, who took two newspapers, Accion Social Cristiana and office on March 15, 1951, the battle of the Verbum. Accion Social Cristiana was a weekly broadsides became more heated. Broadside after bulletin of the Seminario del Social Rerum broadside came out warning about the Communist Novarum, a Catholic lay grosp devoted to threat to the nation. On the other side, women's promoting of social justice teaching of the groups came to the defense of the Arbenz Catholic Church. The director of the association administration, arguing that the Church's interests was Juan Alberto Rosales F., who wrote the are not threatened and the Church must not editorials and many other feature articles for the become involved in politics. The issue of weekly. The initial issues of the publication stated as Communism continued into the closing years of its purpose promoting social justice and fighting the Arbenz administration and became even more Communism. Not surprisingly,many of its pages intense with the passage of the Agrarian Law of were devoted to informing the readers about the 1952, which the opposition broadsides saw as threats of Communism to Guatemala. For another step towards Communism. President instance, the archbishop's letters against Arbenz's meeting with the papal nuncio was Communism were carried in full as well as a reported in opposition broadsides as a front to lengthy series of translated articles on fighting cover his Communist sympathies. At the same Communism by Louis Budenz and J. Edgar time the Archbishop gave his warnings to Catholics Hoover. The publication was also very critical of not to be misled by the false peace rallies the Constitution of 1945, which retained the sponsored by Communists. One broadside even anti-religious provisions of the 1870 one .Other accused the opponents of religion of using government actions which drew criticism from the ex-priests to promote anti-religious causes. The weekly were restrictions of the press. President writers in the condemnation of Communism Arevalo's labor reforms and the agrarian reforms frequently accused their opponents of attacking of President Arbenz. On a more positive note, the religion. One broadside in 1953 departed from this Catholic laymen pushed Christian syndicalism and MILLER: The Taracena Flores Collection 143

the newspapers frequently carried news about the Gran Cruz de la Liberation from Colonel thesemovements in Europe. . The official mouthpiece of the Guatemalan A final set of documents in the TFC that church was Verbum. The TFC's holdings of the perrain to our study are pastoral letters and other came weekly publication are very limited, numbering sundry pronouncements that from the desk. of these later in only some eighteen issues for the years 1947 archbishop's Many appeared and Social Cristiana. through 1955. Despite the limited numbers, Mr. broadsides, Verbum Accion Taracena selected issues that are very telling for Whith the overthrow of the Jorge Ubico in the studying the Church's positions during the Arevalo government 1944, prelate immediately and Arebenz administrations. called for true liberty and orged his follovers to Editorials reminded the Catholic flock of their practice charity to all. Another directive urged the to remain cut of and that obligations to vote but at the same time Church clergy politics promised new leaders insisted there is no such thing in the Church will cooperate fully with the Guatemalan politics as a Catholic party. There government. A number of pastoral directives ware also the usual criticisms of anti-clerical stressed social justice themes, which covered such Liberalism of the past century, especially under topics as Catholic Action, labor and social welfare. the administrations of Francisco Morazan and Two pastorals touched on the obligations of Justo Rufino Barrios. Much of the space in the voting, family duties and education. Included here collected issues in the TFC is devoted to attacks is the pastoral letter on Communism in 1954, whic on Communism. The readers are kept informed scholars judge to be a contributing factor is the to about communist persecutions in satelite countries downfall of the Arbenz government. Pertinent such as the imprisonment of Cardinal Joseph our study are the publications of the prelate's in Mindszenty in Hungary. One issue carried banner funeral orations of the soldiers who had died to Guatemala from headlines informing the public of Communist 1954 in the struggle liberate leaders who entered the country. One of themore Communism. brief of collected interesting, and perhaps amusing, on the subject The foregoing survey imprints was an editorial in the June 17, 1951 issue. In a by Mr. Taracena again shows the invaluable work of Guatemala. very tortuous reasoning process, the editorial this collector did for the study sources fill in the Benson Latin proceeded to inform its readers of the continuous These help gaps threat of to Guatemala. In the 19th American Collection for the study of the area century, Guatemala suffered the loss of Chiapas governments of Arevalo and Arbenz in the of and and in the 20th century Mexico Church and state relations. Especially valuable are threatens to take over Belice. Fortunately Mexico imprints of broadsides, Accion Social Cristiana, has not succeeded in all of its designs, especially in Verbuum and pastoral communications. the long range goal of annexing Guatemala and Much of my study in the TFC is complete. eventually all of . According to More sources relating to my investigations need to are in the U.S. has foiled these plots, but the U.S. may be consulted and most of these available the be forced to re-examine its policy of protecting other holdings of the Benson Latin American an Guatemala after facing continued Communist Collection. The study provides opportunity of criticism in Guatemala about North American studying the Church's behavior in facing the imperialism. If this should happen, then Mexico revolutionary period from 1945 to 1954. will be able to exercise a free hand in Central Today the Church faces revolution again and there are and Catholic who America and fulfill its dream of annexing the clergymen laymen the wisdom of in the region as it had done under the imperial rule of question following footsteps Agustin de Iturbide, 1821-23. The rationale of the of Archbishop Rossell y Arellano, (10). In short, traditional Mexican menace and the Communist those no longer wish to see the struggle purely in threat going hand must have raised eyebrows terms of an east-west conflict. The roots of the among themore critical readers. revolution they see as home grown. The archbishop already saw some of this in the 1940's After the downfall of President Arbenz's and 1950's, but his vision was obscured by the government in the summer of 1954, front page east-west struggle, a perception that was not only headlines greeted the archbishop as the hero of widespread in Guatemala but also in other areas of resistance. On July 3, 1954, the prelate received theworld, especially the U.S. 144 ANUARIO DE ESTUDIOS CENTROAMERICANOS

NOTES summer of 1984. Her dibliographical guide to the Collection made task (1) Nattie Lee Benson, 'The Arturo Taracena my of the study of the Arevalo and Arbenz administrations Flores Library" The Library Cronicle of the University oj much easier and less time Texas 7 (Spring 1964): 39. consuming. a ( 2) Ibid.,p. 37. ( 9) For detailed study of Communism see Ronald M. ( 3) Ibid. Schneider, Communism in Guatemala, (N. Y.: ( 4) Ibid.,pp. 37-38. Praeger, 1958). ( 5) Ibid.,p. 38. (10) A more flexibleapproach to the issue of Communism was the ( 6) Ibid. policy adopted by the Costa Rican Catholic which ( 7) Ibid.,p. 39. Church, permitted Catholics to cooperate with (8) Ann Hartness-Kane, Revolution and Communist groups to achieve needed Counterrevolution in Guatemala 1944-1963, Annotated socio-economic reforms. For a more detailed study of this see Thomas Bibliography of Materials in the Benson Latin American approach M. Leonard," Costa Rica: The U.S. of the Collection (Austin, TX: Publication: The General Perception Church and Communism, 1931 1948" want in The Church and Libraries, 1984). I to take this opportunity of Society in Latin America edited by A. New thanking Ann Hartness-Kane for her most gracious help in Jeffrey Cole, Orleans: Tulane University Latin the study of the Taracena Flores Collection during the American Studies Center, 1984, pp. 307-320.