Acknowledgements

In writing this book I received assistance from many people – too many to name in fact. I interviewed people who were active in the revolutionary movement in Spain at that time, some of whom were close friends and comrades of mine. I cannot name them all, but a special mention must be made of my old friends and comrades Mila San Martín and Jesús Díaz de Durana, both of whom have played an important role in the Marxist movement in Spain for many decades. They have given me much useful advice and provided me with important source material. Most importantly, it was through them that I was able to interview some key participants in the events of 3 March in Vitoria. Many thanks are also due to Andoni Txasco, the president of the Association of the Victims of 3 March, where these interviews were held.

My thanks also to Arturo Val del Olmo, a key figure in the Basque workers’ movement in the 1970s and 1980s, who has been a valued friend and comrade of mine since we first met in 1976.

I would also like to thank Miguel Fernández for his valuable contributions, especially in the field of art and culture.

The production of this book has involved a colossal amount of hard work by a small and dedicated team of collaborators, who have spent many long hours working to achieve the best possible technical results. I would like to thank Jordi Martorell for his proofreading and his valuable comments and suggestions. He played a particularly important role at the beginning, when I was faced with the daunting task organising a mass of material and giving it a coherent form. He was also responsible for producing a very useful glossary. In a similar vein, I wish to thank David Rey, both for his painstaking proofreading and for his important additions to the text. I also wish to convey my thanks to Su Norris, Rob Smith and Fred Weston for their proofreading. A special mention must be made of Ana Muñoz, who in addition to providing a vivid account of her own experiences of the underground movement in Spain in the 1970s, has played an invaluable role in proofreading, correcting and generally improving the content of this book.

I am indebted to the hard work of Jack Halinski-Fitzpatrick in the layout department, and also for proofreading the final text. We have Daniel Morley to thank for producing such a splendid cover and we also thank Jordi Martorell for selecting the cover photograph.

It is my firm belief that the final result will more than justify the hard work that was expended on its production. I hope that it will serve to open the eyes of the new generation, which is destined to continue the struggle that began at that time and lead it to a victorious conclusion.