Juan March: The Banker Who Financed Franco's Coup
Juan March funded Franco's plane, gave Mola 600 million pesetas, and negotiated fuel with Texaco for the rebels.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Juan March, the banker who bought a coup d'état
How much does it cost to finance a civil war? In Spain, the answer has a name: Juan March Ordinas (1880-1962). The patriarch of the Mallorcan dynasty, born into a family that traditionally hauled pig manure in carts, provided the seed capital for the 1936 uprising. He financed the Dragon Rapide flight that transported Franco from the Canary Islands to Segarro, handed over 600 million pesetas to General Mola, and guaranteed financial security for the conspiring generals' families should the coup fail.
It was not charity. March treated the regime as a financial entity: a useful instrument, but also a risk to be managed. Franco rewarded him and later sidelined him, irritated by his debts and the banker's ambition to monopolize foreign trade. Tensions rose so high that March antiestéticared for his life and established his legal residence in Geneva.
The origin of the surname and the Xuetes controversy
The debate over whether the Marches descend from the Xuetes—Mallorcan Jews converted to Christianity—has generated extensive literature. There is no historical proof that Juan March had direct Jewish ancestors, though rumors surrounded him since the Second Spanish Republic, when political rivals used the term pejoratively to attack him. His family raised pigs, which some cite as evidence against this lineage. Others claim, without historical basis, that certain physical traits suggest otherwise.
The air bridge that changed the war
March did not just pay for the Dragon Rapide. He negotiated with US oil company Texaco to ensure fuel supplies for rebel troops while cutting off the Republic, and financed the first military airlift in history using German Junkers aircraft to transport elite troops from Africa to the peninsula. He also funded Mallorca's rearmament by purchasing Italian planes.
During World War II, he received a spectacular commission from the British government to weaken the Hitler-Franco alliance. True to his strategy of diversifying risks, he supported Don Juan de Borbón with at least one million Swiss francs, convinced that a parliamentary monarchy would offer a more stable environment for his interests. Only in 1946, when it became clear the Allies would not overthrow Franco, did he withdraw support for the monarchists.
The lawless banker who escaped the Republic
During the Second Republic, he served as a deputy in two legislatures and sat on the Constitutional Guarantees Tribunal, despite being accused and convicted of various economic crimes. Finance Minister Jaume Carner warned in 1932: "March is neither friend nor enemy; March is March." Imprisoned, he bribed the guards and fled to Gibraltar, where he received visits from the police chief.
In the end, the question is not whether he was Jewish, a Xueta, or a convert. The question is how many of those today mocking his nose in digital forums could explain why Spain's richest man needed a borrowed plane to put a dictator in power.
How much does it cost to finance a civil war? In Spain, the answer has a name: Juan March Ordinas (1880-1962). The patriarch of the Mallorcan dynasty, born into a family that traditionally hauled pig manure in carts, provided the seed capital for the 1936 uprising. He financed the Dragon Rapide flight that transported Franco from the Canary Islands to Segarro, handed over 600 million pesetas to General Mola, and guaranteed financial security for the conspiring generals' families should the coup fail.
It was not charity. March treated the regime as a financial entity: a useful instrument, but also a risk to be managed. Franco rewarded him and later sidelined him, irritated by his debts and the banker's ambition to monopolize foreign trade. Tensions rose so high that March antiestéticared for his life and established his legal residence in Geneva.
The origin of the surname and the Xuetes controversy
The debate over whether the Marches descend from the Xuetes—Mallorcan Jews converted to Christianity—has generated extensive literature. There is no historical proof that Juan March had direct Jewish ancestors, though rumors surrounded him since the Second Spanish Republic, when political rivals used the term pejoratively to attack him. His family raised pigs, which some cite as evidence against this lineage. Others claim, without historical basis, that certain physical traits suggest otherwise.
The air bridge that changed the war
March did not just pay for the Dragon Rapide. He negotiated with US oil company Texaco to ensure fuel supplies for rebel troops while cutting off the Republic, and financed the first military airlift in history using German Junkers aircraft to transport elite troops from Africa to the peninsula. He also funded Mallorca's rearmament by purchasing Italian planes.
During World War II, he received a spectacular commission from the British government to weaken the Hitler-Franco alliance. True to his strategy of diversifying risks, he supported Don Juan de Borbón with at least one million Swiss francs, convinced that a parliamentary monarchy would offer a more stable environment for his interests. Only in 1946, when it became clear the Allies would not overthrow Franco, did he withdraw support for the monarchists.
The lawless banker who escaped the Republic
During the Second Republic, he served as a deputy in two legislatures and sat on the Constitutional Guarantees Tribunal, despite being accused and convicted of various economic crimes. Finance Minister Jaume Carner warned in 1932: "March is neither friend nor enemy; March is March." Imprisoned, he bribed the guards and fled to Gibraltar, where he received visits from the police chief.
In the end, the question is not whether he was Jewish, a Xueta, or a convert. The question is how many of those today mocking his nose in digital forums could explain why Spain's richest man needed a borrowed plane to put a dictator in power.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (38 replies).
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