Manuel Fraga Iribarne (1922 – 2012)
Politician and Spanish diplomat during Franco's dictatorship, the {{w:Spanish transition to democracy|transition}} and later democracy years.
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"A great man" [...] "and the greatest and most representative of the Spanish people of the 20th century" [...] "one of the great leaders we have had in our history" — The day Francisco Franco, the dictator, died.
"The Franco Regime has set the basis for an ordered Spain. Actually, just compare today's Spain with the situation in the 30s" —(December, 30, 2007)
"The language is called Spanish, not Castillian! Spanish is the language of everybody. It has become the language of Spain already [...] Catalonia was occupied by Felipe IV, by Felipe V (who defeated the Catalan), it was bombed by general Espartero, who was a revolutionary general, and we occupy it in 1939 and we are prepared to take the rifle again. Therefore, you shall guess what to expect. Here I have my rifle to use it again"
"It is obious that the glorious day of July, 18, 1936 [Franco's coup d'état] was one of the nicest political and social movements that the world remembers. Historians shall admit that the most and best part of the country was the one who raised against the governement, illegal and corrupt, who was preparing the darkest red revolution from the power". 1949
"My mother (from Iparralde) understood perfectly that she had to teach French, not Basque, which is a dead language."
"Those who have not learnt from Gasteiz will be responsible for their own acts. Those who want to fight, will be fought. With all of its consequences. Stop being fool "
"I would not execute [by firing squad] certain people. They should be hooked off their balls." – Fraga's answer to "Are you as a professor against the death penalty?"
"We will not seat at the same table with the comunists. I will never talk to them"
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