Manuel Díez-Alegría Gutiérrez (25 July 1906 – 3 February 1987) was a Spanish

military officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent c ...

who served as Chief of the

Defence High Command The Defence High Command (, AEM) was the principal staff body of the Spanish Armed Forces during the Francoist regime and the transition to democracy. It operated between 1939 and 1980, and was in charge of coordination between the staffs of the ...

between 1970 and 1974, i.e., chief of staff of the

Spanish Armed Forces The Spanish Armed Forces are in charge of guaranteeing the sovereignty and independence of the Spain, Kingdom of Spain, defending its territorial integrity and the constitutional order, according to the functions entrusted to them by the Spanish ...

during the

Francoist dictatorship Francoist Spain (), also known as the Francoist dictatorship (), or Nationalist Spain () was the period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death i ...

Non-military positions

Díez-Alegría served as Ambassador of Spain to

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

between 1976 and 1978, during the

Spanish transition to democracy The Spanish transition to democracy, known in Spain as (; ) or (), is a period of History of Spain, modern Spanish history encompassing the regime change that moved from the Francoist dictatorship to the consolidation of a parliamentary system ...

. Additionally, he was a member of the Royal Academy of Moral and Political Sciences from 1968, the

Royal Spanish Academy The Royal Spanish Academy (, ; ) is Spain's official royal institution with a mission to ensure the stability of the Spanish language. It is based in Madrid, Spain, and is affiliated with national language academies in 22 other Hispanophon ...

from 1980, and the

Cortes Españolas The Cortes Españolas (), known informally as the Cortes franquistas (), was the name of the legislative institution promulgated by the ''Caudillo'' of Spain Francisco Franco which was established on 17 July 1942 (the sixth anniversary of th ...

(1970–1977).

Awards

* Grand Cross of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild (1961) * Grand Cross (with White Decoration) of Military Merit (1964) * Grand Cross (with White Decoration) of Naval Merit (1968) * Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of the Yoke and Arrows (1969) * Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (1970) * Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise (1971) *

Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit The Royal Order of Civil Merit (; Abbr.: OMC) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent orders of merit bestowed by the Kingdom of Spain, alongside the Order of Charles III (established in 1771) and the Order of Isabella the Catholic (e ...

(1977)

References

1906 births 1987 deaths People from Asturias People from Llanes 20th-century Spanish military personnel Spanish lieutenant generals Ambassadors of Spain to Egypt Members of the Royal Spanish Academy Members of the Cortes Españolas Spanish military personnel of the Spanish Civil War (National faction) Colegio de la Inmaculada (Gijón) alumni Grand Crosses of the Royal and Military Order of San Hermenegild Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Recipients of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise Grand Crosses of Military Merit Grand Crosses of Naval Merit Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit {{Spain-mil-bio-stub