Free The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys Page B

during the Spanish Civil War.”
    Daniel’s eyes expand. “Are those things true?”
    “Who cares if they’re true. That’s the wild boar everyone’s hunting so one day they’ll run it down. But they’re missing something. What about the people of Spain? What is life like under a dictatorship? What’s it like for young people when textbooks are government sponsored? What are their hopes and dreams when there are no free elections and only one religion?”
    The waiter delivers their hamburgers and milkshakes. Ben gestures to the plate with his cigarette. “Everyone seems to understand what 1950s Middle America is like. They say it’s hamburgers andmilkshakes, right? For years I’ve been trying to explain to the world what it’s like for the average person in Spain.”
    Daniel looks at Ben, not certain he understands. Is he baiting him or trying to inspire him? “But life seems fine here. My mom’s Spanish and she claims Franco’s sympathetic. Nick says things are better now.”
    “Franco’s an architect,” whispers Ben. “Maybe things are better than when the war ended, but wages here—they’re still lower than what they were in 1936. But that’s not the point.” Ben drills his finger on the cover of Daniel’s portfolio. “You’re a photographer, a storyteller. In a dozen pictures, you showed me ten layers of Texas. Choose an angle and show me ten layers of Madrid.”
    Daniel stares at Ben, trying to interpret his comments. “And you’ll print my pictures in the Herald Tribune ?”
    “Hell no. I can’t do that. I’m the visiting correspondent here. I have to play by the rules. I’m knuckled by the censors. Why do you think it’s been so hard to tell this country’s story?” He pauses, looking over his shoulder. “But meaningful photos, human beings enduring hardship, that’ll get the attention of the Magnum judges. That’ll win you the cash prize and get you to J-School. And who knows, when you get back to Dallas you might happen to stumble upon a contact for LIFE magazine. Madrid through the eyes of a young American—pretty interesting stuff, don’t you think?”
    LIFE .
    Daniel sits, frozen, not willing to believe what Ben is suggesting. A potential photo essay in LIFE magazine? Robert Capa, Eugene Smith, Gerda Taro—all of his heroes shot in Spain. LIFE printed their photos. The image of the nun with the baby returns to Daniel. Why is he hesitant to tell Ben about it?
    Ben takes a wide bite of the hamburger. He removes a package of Bisma-Rex antacids from his pocket and sets it on the table. His voice returns to a whisper.
    “Focus your lens on the Spanish people,” Ben lifts his cigarette and points it at Daniel, “but don’t be stupid. There is a dark side here. Sure, they’re selling sunshine and castanets to the tourists. But that’s not all Franco’s selling. One wrong move and the police will be on you. You’ll be dead in a dirt pit.”

The major thrust, I think, of the Political Section was to give to Washington an idea of how the ordinary Spaniards were living under the regime, how they felt toward it, and what the regime’s relationships with the European countries were. Obviously, Spain’s relations with us at that time were somewhat controversial since there were many people in this country, particularly in the Congress, who felt strongly unfavorable to the Franco regime.
    —S TUART W. R OCKWELL , U.S. political section chief, Madrid (1952–1955)
    Oral History Interview Excerpt, October 1988
    Foreign Affairs Oral History Collection
    Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training
    Arlington, VA www.adst.org
    One of the amusing things to me was that there was a ministry called The Ministry of Information and Tourism headed by an old line Falangist who I am sure hadn’t had a new idea in a long while. On the one hand he was the chief censor, that’s what information meant. Information did not mean giving out information, it meant control of information.
    —F