Courtesy of W.Bro. Juan Carlos Alvarez, P.J.G.W.
Regional Grand Counsellor New South Wales, Australia.

In 1940, General Franco, the Spanish dictator issued a decree banning Freemasonry, Communism and other secret societies on the grounds that Freemasonry was the cause of the fall of the Spanish Empire in the 19th century, and in modern times, the cause of the Spanish Civil War in conjunction with the communists. There were several articles in this decree.

Article No 1: Constitutes a felony to be a communist, or to belong to a masonic lodge or any other secret society.

Article No 2: As these organizations are now banned by the effects of this decree, all monies and properties are to be confiscated immediately.

Article No 3: Any advertisement to exhort the principles or pretended benefits of masonry or communism, or anything against the Religion or the Motherland, will be penalised according to this law.

Article No 4: To be considered a mason, will be those who had been initiated into masonry and had not been expelled from the Order, or not broken altogether their relationship with the organisation. It would also be considered a mason those expelled from the Order with the apparent reason to protect the member from the objects of this law.

Article No 5: From the date of this publication, masons and communists, as defined in article No 4 above, will be liable to be imprisoned with a "minor jail offense", a minimum of 12 years and one day, but this situation could be aggravated by the "Aggravated Circumstances" as explained in Article No 6. 

Article No 6: "Aggravated Circumstances" is to have obtained any of the Degrees from the 18th to the 33rd inclusive, having taken part in any Annual Communications or being part of any Committee or Board of the Grand Orient of Spain, which would indicate the great confidence of the Order entrusted upon the member.

Article No 7: Any mason or communist, who belongs to either organisation, must notify the Government of his affiliation within two months of the date of this law. 

Article No 8: Without prejudice to other penalties as per article No 5, and those who have not a reasonable excuse to be absolved, will be separated immediately and indefinitely from Government jobs, Public or Official Corporations, managerial and advisory positions in private enterprise companies, as well as any other job in which any kind of confidence is entrusted upon them. This law will cover this employment situation in perpetuity. It will be considered a attenuating circumstances providing information to the authorities about the persons who had performed the initiation into masonry, their superiors, or any other person involved in masonry or any other item of information that will be of benefit in the carrying of this law.

Signed General Francisco Franco
March, 1940.