Portrait of Baron Gérard-Jacques de Borchgrave

Baron Gérard-Jacques de Borchgrave (1902-1936) was an attaché in the Belgian embassy in Madrid. His death under suspicious circumstances and disagreement about what happened provoked a diplomatic crisis between the governments of the Republic and Belgium. On December 23, Belgian officials discovered a judicial file in the headquarters of the Madrid provincial administration that stated that de Borchgrave’s body had been discovered in a ditch near Fuencarral. The embassy requested that the Spanish government recover the body, have an autopsy performed, and then delivered it to them. It also requested there be an investigation to determine how de Borchgrave died. 

The autopsy revealed that the diplomat had been shot three times, including once behind an ear from point blank range. In the Belgian government’s view, de Borchgrave had been murdered and, in line with international law, issued four demands to the government of the Republic: an official written apology and a statement of regret; that the body be sent to a port or be buried with military honors; an indemnity of one million Belgian francs; and assurances that the guilty parties be punished. 

The first thought was that de Borchgrave had been killed because of his involvement in espionage and a campaign to encourage Belgian members of the International Brigades to desert. It was believed that Republican authorities had been staking out the Belgian embassy and decided to kill anyone suspected of contacting volunteers from that country, and that when Borchgrave met with Belgian volunteers near the front, the Assault Guard decided to kill him. When neither Borchgrave’s involvement in espionage nor the Assault Guards’ responsibility for his death could be proved, both governments sought to avoid any responsibility. The Spaniards suggested that Borchgrave had gone into a restricted area without the knowledge of the authorities and the necessary authorization, which was suspicious. For its part, in the absence of any evidence, the Belgian government blamed Spanish authorities since the place where Borchgrave had been killed was under their control. The dispute got so bogged down that the two governments took it to the International Court of Justice in The Hague. In the end, the passage of time and the evolution of the war led the two governments to agree to an amicable solution, with Spain paying the reparations the government of Belgium had initially demanded.