The Republicans' treasury

C’est une bien étrange legend qui se transmet dans la région. Elle a pour cadre la retirada, l’afflux de républicains espagnols dans le département, ceux-ci fuyant le régime dictatorial de Franco. Nous sommes en 1939, à La Vajol, petit village sur le versant Nord des Albères, en Spain. Voici le trésor des Républicains.

The Republicans' treasury

The legend begins on February 27 exactly. That day seven trucks loaded with gold bars set off for the nearest port in order to send it to Mexico and France. This gold was a residue of the Spanish bank that the Republicans had succeeded in extracting from the coffers of the central bank and that they wanted, of course, to secure in the shelter of the regime which was being put in place. However, one of these trucks never arrived at its destination.

Some Catalans claim that they saw him near Las Illas (South of Maureillas, in the Albères), where he would have left part of the cargo. Another source says that the truck went to Argelès where the two conveyors would have buried their treasure while waiting for better days. Sometimes we hear slightly different versions, but the action is almost always located near Argelès or in the Albères.

What is it really? Difficult to know without following the trail of these trucks in a real investigation. It seems probable that seven trucks really left La Vajol that day, the date is difficult to invent because it is so precise. But their content remains pure guesswork.

Among the leads to be avoided, we can easily put the one which consists in believing that the Spaniards could, without anyone noticing it, bury anything on the beaches of Argelès: At that time a retention camp was parked these same Republicans on the beach, and we can easily imagine that this beach has been largely supervised, and has been for quite some time.

Comme toute les legends, celle-ci doit avoir une part de vérité, et d’autant plus grande qu’elle a pour cadre un lieu proche et une époque récente. Mais seuls quelques personnes doivent connaître ce qui s’est réellement passé ce jour de 1939, à La Vajol.