The visit of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower to Spain on 21 December 1959 was an important moment for the Franco regime to symbolically consolidate its exit from international ostracism during early Francoism. [1]
The visit of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower to Spain on 21 December 1959 was an important moment for the Franco regime to symbolically consolidate its exit from international ostracism during early Francoism. [1]
Invited by the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs Fernando Castiella, Eisenhower accepted the invitation in the fall. [2] The visit was the first by a United States president to Spain [3] and symbolized the definitive rehabilitation of Francisco Franco after years of ostracism [4] and his acceptance as a U.S. ally. [5]
Eisenhower landed around 4:30 p.m. on 21 December at the Torrejón Air Base, near Madrid, where he was received by the dictator. [6] Organized as a large social event, [1] the trip between the base and Madrid was made in three cars. The two heads of state were cheered by nearly one million people, in a sort of carnival-like parade; [7] Eisenhower and Franco drove through the main streets of the Spanish capital in an open car. [3]
Eisenhower's stop in Spain was not very long: the US president left Spain at 10:45 a.m. the following day. [6] [1] The visit, which was one of Eisenhower's stops on a tour during the latter part of his administration to consolidate U.S. ties with countries outside the communist orbit and with swing countries, [6] was the highest point reached by Franco in international politics. [8]
In the following years, U.S. presidents Richard Nixon (2 – 3 October 1970) and Gerald Ford (31 May – 1 June 1975) visited Franco in Spain, both were Republicans, no Democrat POTUS visited Franco. [9]