Atomic Routes and Cultures for a New Narrative on Franco’s Regime

Abstract

A decision by two Spanish companies to start producing nuclear-based electrical energy was the beginning of a journey that led two Spanish engineers to the United States and Canada in 1957. They wanted to learn about the reactor technology that North American companies were developing, contact specialized consultants to explore possible consultancy services, and search out political, economic, and financial support to make their project viable. The trip’s travel log suggests that the route they set off on was decisive in convincing the dictatorship’s political, industrial, and economic powers of the importance of nuclear energy; this journey had a direct influence on subsequent construction of Spanish nuclear facilities and on the policies designed to manage it. In this article I suggest exploring this journey and its record to reflect on how nuclear energy participated in building a new narrative on the Franco regime, one that showed Spain as a modern, internationally-connected State capable of incorporating the latest atomic technologies.