Lorraine Williamson
The political row over the declassification of 23-F files is not really about whether the failed 1981 coup attempt matters. It is about what happens after this release — and whether Spain is finally ready to overhaul its wider culture of official secrecy.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on Monday, the 45th anniversary of the attempted coup, that the government would declassify documents linked to 23-F, presenting it as a democratic transparency measure and a way to “settle a historic debt” with citizens. Reuters reported the files were due to be approved on Tuesday, published/released on Wednesday
Why the PP’s “smoke curtain” line matters politically
The PP quickly framed the move as a “cortina de humo” — a smoke screen — arguing the government is using a symbolic historical announcement to distract from present-day political problems. El País reported similar criticism from Vox and other right-wing voices.
That response is politically useful because it shifts the debate away from transparency and onto timing. Instead of asking what the files may reveal, the opposition asks why the government chose this moment to release them.
The left’s response shows this is not a simple pro/anti split
The reaction on the other side has been more complicated than a straightforward defence of Sánchez.
El País reports that left-wing and nationalist parties broadly welcomed the declassification, but many also argued it does not go far enough, using the moment to demand a deeper reform of Spain’s secrecy framework and access to other classified files tied to contentious episodes in modern Spanish history.
That is the key point. Even supporters of the move are treating it less as an endpoint and more as a test case.
What could be in the files — and what may not be
Reuters says the release could shed more light on the 1981 coup attempt, including the potential role of state actors and institutions, though it also notes warnings from former officials that some important records may no longer exist.
So expectations do need managing. The declassification may clarify parts of the historical record, but it may not deliver a single definitive answer to every long-running theory around 23-F.
Why this matters beyond history
The attempted coup remains one of the defining stress tests of Spain’s democracy. Reopening the archive, therefore, has immediate political weight — not only because of what happened in 1981, but because it touches a live issue in 2026: who controls access to the state’s memory.
El País links the announcement to the broader debate over the still-stalled reform of the Official Secrets Law, a long-running demand among parties and transparency advocates who argue Spain has carried too much opacity from earlier eras into the democratic period.
The real story to watch after the headlines
The loudest headline on Monday was the clash: government transparency versus opposition “smoke curtain” accusations. But the more important development may come later.
If this declassification becomes a one-off commemorative gesture, the row will fade. If it accelerates reform of Spain’s secrecy rules and normalises broader archival access, it could mark a more meaningful shift in how modern Spain handles historical accountability.
What Wednesday may reveal — and what Parliament still has to decide
The 23-F files may produce fresh details, or they may mainly confirm what historians already suspected. Either way, the bigger political question is now in plain view: whether Spain wants selective transparency tied to anniversaries, or a more systematic opening of state records.