Expulsion from the Communist Party

In 1954, thanks to his successful clandestine work in Spain, Federico Sánchez (Jorge Semprún’s official alias in the Communist Party leadership) was appointed to the Central Committee of the PCE at the Fifth Congress of the Communist Party of Spain. He joined the party’s Political Bureau two years later. In the early 1960s, there was a growing split in the leadership of the PCE regarding the socio-political situation in Spain and the strategy of the struggle against the Franco regime. Within four years, two opposing sides had formed. The majority position headed by Secretary-General Santiago Carrillo, and the minority group represented by Fernando Claudín and Federico Sánchez.

After fruitless attempts to reach an agreement, the full Executive Committee gathered for a meeting in Prague, chaired by party President Dolores Ibárruri. Claudín and Sánchez explained the reasoning behind their disagreement. The twelve other members condemned their opinions as revisionist, right-wing, typical of “bonehead” intellectuals without the necessary confidence in Communism. Fernando Claudín and Federico Sánchez were removed from the leadership committee and finally expelled in April 1965.