Pedro Fernández Checa, usually known as Pedro Checa (1910 – 6 August 1942) was a Spanish Communist who played a leading role in the party during the Spanish Civil War (1936–39). After the defeat of the Republic he was forced into exile in the Soviet Union and then Mexico, where he died.
Life
Early years
Pedro Fernández Checa was born in Valencia in 1910. He studied as an industrial technician and worked as a draftsman. He moved to Seville, where he had contact with José Díaz Ramos, who would become general secretary of the Spanish Communist Party (PCE: Partido Comunista Español). In Madrid he joined a small leftist group which published a newspaper called Rebelión. The group included Manuel Navarro Ballesteros, who later would direct Mundo Obrero. Checa acquired some theoretical background with this group, and with them joined the Spanish Communist Party soon after the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic. His decision was due to the influence of José Díaz Ramos. Checa had great capacity for work, and was also very shy. While he was a militant in the PCE he always had a reputation as an honest and hard working person. He was among the most respected of the militants.
Despite his youth, Checa joined the Central Committee of the party in 1932 after José Bullejos was sacked by the Comintern, and joined the general secretariat of José Díaz. In 1935, according to the Comintern, he was appointed secretary of organization. The historian Gregorio Morán says that when the Comintern ordered the appointment of Checa as secretary of the PCE, he was not even a substitute member of Central Committee.
Civil War
During the Spanish Civil War (17 July 1936 – 1 April 1939) Checa and "Pasionaria" (Dolores Ibárruri) led the PCE due to illness of the Secretary General, José Díaz. In November 1936, the government evacuated to Valencia. The Political Bureau of the PCE remained in Madrid, unlike the leaders of the other parties. Checa and Antonio Mije negotiated with General José Miaja for participation of the Communists in Madrid Defense Council (Junta de Defensa de Madrid). This consisted of three ministries, War, Supplies and Public Order, which were led by Antonio Mije, Pablo Yagüe and Santiago Carrillo, respectively. Yagüe represented the Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT, General Union of Workers) and Carrillo the Unified Socialist Youth.
By this time Checa was working for the Soviet secret service, the NKVD. As secretary of the organization, he was also responsible for the secret or illegal party apparatus, consisting of "special teams" that, for example, had already taken part in murdering Falangists. For this reason several authors have blamed him for having ordered the Paracuellos massacres. Angel Viñas states that the mass killings were ordered or suggested by the NKVD. "His responsibility for both the initial spark and for monitoring and surveillance of the operation is undeniable." Julius Ruiz does not directly implicate Checa and argues that the killings were mainly managed and promoted by the Spanish, with the Soviets simply giving support. During the war Checa proposed organizing guerrilla groups from the refugees from the areas occupied by the rebels, although until September 1937 he was not allowed to organize these forces as the XIV Corps of the Guerrilla Army. As a Communist leader, Checa was one of the PCE negotiators in talks that ultimately failed over merging the PCE and the PSOE (Partido Socialista Obrero Español, Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) .