Name Enrique Guinazu Children Magdalena Ruiz Guinazu | Role Politician | |
Died November 13, 1967, Buenos Aires, Argentina | ||
Enrique Ruiz Guinazu (14 October 1884 - 13 November 1967) was an Argentinean politician who is best remembered for his spell as Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship in the 1940s.
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Rise to prominence
Ruiz Guinazu served as both a professor and a banker before into the diplomatic service, with his roles including chief delegate to the League of Nations and ambassador to Switzerland. He was serving as ambassador to the Vatican City when President Ramon Castillo recalled him to take up the post of Foreign Minister. Even before the entry of the United States into the Second World War Ruiz Guinazu had already accrued a reputation as a fascist sympathiser in that country, with his frequent praising of Benito Mussolini and Francisco Franco leading American diplomat Sumner Welles to write that Ruiz Guinazu was "one of the stupidest men ever to hold office in Argentina's proud history". Having previously served as ambassador to Spain, where he had been impressed by falangism, Ruiz Guinazu advocated both neutrality in the Second World War and Hispanidad as Foreign Minister.
Pro-Axis activity
At the Pan-American conference held in Rio de Janeiro in January 1942, Ruiz Guinazu pushed a pro-Axis Powers agenda by ensuring that the wording of the US-led agreement was changed from a 'commitment' to breaking off diplomatic relations with the Axis to a 'recommendation'. Ultimately Castillo kept open relations with Germany, Japan and Italy for the duration of his Presidency.
Ostensibly seeking a peace settlement Ruiz Guinazu and his main advisor Mario Amadeo closely co-operated with the Axis powers, sending Juan Carlos Goyeneche to Europe as their own envoy and asking German ambassador Edmund von Thermann to forward plans for an Argentine-hosted peace summit to Joachim von Ribbentrop in which Nazi rule over Europe would be officially recognised. However the idea came to nothing and Ruiz Guinazu's time as Foreign Minister came to an end in 1943.
Writing
Away from politics Ruiz Guinazu was a noted historian with his 1916 book La Magistratura Indiana considered a central study of justice in Latin America under Spanish rule for many years after it was first published.