In 1811, Joseph of San Martin acquired a curved saber before leaving London for Buenos Aires, the one that he would later use to fight in the Battle of San Lorenzo. When he went into exile in Europe, the weapon remained in the hands of a friendly family in Mendoza, until San Martín himself He asked his daughter Mercedes to take it.
It was so that that saber He accompanied him until his death in Boulogne Sur Mer, on August 17, 1850.. Subsequently, Mariano Balcarcewho was his son-in-law, contacted Juan Manuel de Rosas to explain the third clause of the will that San Martín had written on January 23, 1844.
It read: “The saber that has accompanied me throughout the War of Independence of South America It will be delivered to the General of the Argentine Republic Don Juan Manuel de Rosasas proof of the satisfaction that as an Argentine I have had when seeing the firmness with which it has sustained the honor of the Republic against the unjust claims of Foreigners who try to humiliate it.”.
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Rosas would then give it to his friend Juan Nepomuceno Terrero, whose son Máximo married Manuelita Rosas. It was the latter who was contacted by the director of the National Historical Museum for its donation in 1866. It is hard to believe that, after 152 years of history, that saber ended up being robbed by a 23-year-old young man.
How was the theft of the San Martín saber
In a context where Peronism was in a critical state, Osvaldo August He moved clandestinely with his companions from the Peronist Resistance. Because spirits were low, they decided to plan a heroic action, which was going to be decided between three options: one was the theft of San Martín’s saber, another was the theft of Obligado’s flags in France and the taking of the Falklands in conjunction with another group..
Finally, and with the excuse of “maintain the mystique of Peronism”they leaned towards the first. It was so that a August 12, 1963 The members of the Resistance posed as Tucumán students at the National Historical Museum. “The fact itself was easy, it came down to the people who were there, we broke the display case, “We took the saber, wrapped it in a poncho and left a slogan, it was a scandal.”August recalled in an interview.
In that void that was left in the museum it was written: “General San Martín’s saber will be guarded by the Argentine youth, represented by the Peronist Youth…The Argentine people should not harbor any concern: “The curved saber of San Martín will be cared for as if it were the hearts of our mothers.”.
The joy soon came to an end, because in a joint operation between the Intelligence Services, the Army and the Police, those responsible could finally be found. Although the most important tip came from one of the members of the Resistance.
What was Agosto’s arrest like after stealing San Martín’s curved saber?
“I do not criticize those who confess to torture. The only thing I asked of them was that If they can’t stand it, let them dedicate themselves to painting, literature, cinema, but not politics.and a companion confesses and that’s when the persecution of the group begins.” A few days later, August was detained and tortured by security forces.
Agosto’s words, after his arrest
“I’m not braver than anyone, but I was lucky to resist torture. I denied everything, they paraded me and did not recognize me. I was a publicist at that time and when we went to do the operation I had makeup done. I was still detained for a week, but they couldn’t accuse me,” said Agosto.
The Resistance militant remembered with pride the feat accomplished, for the impact it generated and because it led him to meet Juan Domingo Peron. It was a brief meeting in Puerta de Hierro in 1969: “He told me: ‘I’ve been waiting for it’, as if relating it to the saber, and I said ‘Yes, General, but we had some problems, and he replied: ‘I already know August, I already know what he suffered’”.
Source: Ambito
