The Stolen Babies of Francoist Spain

Madison Crane*

Department of History, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505

Presentation Category: Oral-Behavioral & Social Sciences (Oral Presentation #40)

Student’s Major: History

This project examines the alleged kidnapping of thousands of newborn babies in Spain between the 1930s and 1990s. During the majority of this time, Spain was under the rule of the fascist dictator Francisco Franco, whose regime committed many crimes against humanity. When one man was told by his father that he had purchased him from a nun as a baby, the story made national headlines. Now hundreds of mothers who were told by nuns that their babies had suddenly and suspiciously died have come forward and are seeking answers to what really happened to their children. The exhumation of the graves of some of these children have found multiple coffins that contain no traces of a baby. The investigations and search for justice have been met with much resistance from the Spanish government and the Catholic church. The purpose of this project was to find evidence that supports the claim that a widespread baby trafficking network was happening in Spain during this time that involved both the Catholic Church and the federal government.

Funding:

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: capstone course within my department