]> ms.47 Robles Pazos (Jos‚) 1897-1937 Papers 1929-1940 Ms. 47 Special Collections, The Milton S. Eisenhower Library, The Johns Hopkins University
3400 N. Charles Street Baltimore, MD 21218 USA Phone: (410) 516-8323
Machine-readable finding aid encoded by Diwakar Bhandari Finding aid written in English Robles Pazos (Jos‚) 1897-1937 Papers 1929-1940 Ms. 47 Special CollectionsThe Milton S. Eisenhower Library The Johns Hopkins University Contact Information Special Collections The Milton S. Eisenhower Library The Johns Hopkins University 3400 North Charles Street Baltimore, MD 21218 (410) 516-8323 Diwakar Bhandari

©2003 The Johns Hopkins University

 Descriptive Summary Ms. 47 Robles Pazos (Jos‚) 1897-1937 Papers 1929-1940 Robles Pazos, Jos , 1897-1937 Johns Hopkins University. Special Collections 80 items Spanish, French The collections spans the years 1929-1940 and consists of correspondence, a contract for the Spanish translation of 13 books by H.L. Mecker, and 2 life insurance policies. The correspondence relates to the plight of Robles' wife and children after his arrest when his whereabouts and fate were unknown. Of particular interest are the letters of the American author John Dos Passos regarding Robles' arrest and subsequent execution. It has been alleged that Dos Passos was a Communist sympathizer during the 1930s but that his ultimate disenchantment with Communism began with the Robles case. Administrative Information Provenance

The papers of Jos‚ Robles Pazos were given to the Library by the Romance Languages Department of The Johns Hopkins University in about 1942.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from this collection must be requested in writing from the Manuscripts Librarian, Milton S. Eisenhower Library, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Md. 21218.

 Preferred Citation

Jos‚ Robles Pazos Collection Ms. 47 Special Collections Milton S. Eisenhower Library The Johns Hopkins University

Biographical Note

Jose Robles Pazos was born in 1897. He was educated in Madrid at the following institutions: Bachiller, Instituto de San Isidro, 1914; Licenciado en letras, University of Madrid, 1918; Prof. Spanish Literature, Residencia de Estudiantes; Colaborador, Centro de Estudios Historicos, 1918-20. In 1920 he came to Johns Hopkins University as Instructor in Spanish, becoming Associate Professor in 1922.

Robles married Magara Villegas and they had a son and daughter, Francisco and Marguerite. Early in June of 1936, after the close of classes at the Johns Hopkins University, Robles and his wife and children left for a vacation in Spain. Shortly after that the Civil War in Spain broke out. Soon after the beginning of the hostilities Robles entered the service of the Spanish Government on a temporary basis pending his return to Baltimore. He also worked as an interpreter at the Russian Embassy. Early in December of 1936 Robles was arrested, and his whereabouts and fate remained unknown. It was not until March 4, 1939 that it was officially announced by the Director of the Spanish Press Bureau in Valencia that Robles had been shot as a traitor by the Spanish Republican Government in February of 1937. After many vicissitudes Robles' wife and daughter escaped to Mexico late in 1939 where they proposed to settle. Robles' son was captured during a military engagement in the summer of 1938 and interned in a prisoner of war camp in Zaragoza under sentence of death. This sentence was commuted to a long prison term through the efforts of the American Ambassador in Madrid. The last letter in the collection relating to Fracisco Robles indicates that by May 1940 efforts were in progress through diplomatic channels to secure his release and transfer to the United States.

 Description of Series/Container List List of Correspondents List of Correspondents

Some of the letters are in Spanish and a few are in French.

Ames, Joseph Sweetman to Henry Carrington Lancaster. Baker, Henry S. to Henry Carrington Lancaster. Bowman, Isaiah to Henry Carrington Lancaster. Coindreau, Maurice E. to Henry Carrington Lancaster. Crofts, F.S. & Co., to Henry Carrington Lancaster. Crooks, Esther J. to Henry Carrington Lancaster, and to Summer Welles. Dos Passos, John to Henry Carrington Lancaster. Niles, Barton, Morrow & Yost to Henry Carrington Lancaster. Robles, Jose to Henry Carrington Lancaster. Robles, Francisco to Henry Carrington Lancaster. Robles, Margara to Esther Crooks. Robles, Margara to John Dos Passos. Robles, Margara to Henry Carrington Lancaster. Robles, Margara to Mr. Storck. Robles, Marguerite to Henry Carrington Lancaster. Solalinde, A.G. to Henry Carrington Lancaster. Weddell, Alexander to Henry Carrington Lancaster. Williams, Ralph C. to Henry Carrington Lancaster.