A Basque himself, he was a vehement opponent of Basque nationalism, which had been revived in the 1960s, and, in particular, to the then fledgling organisation ETA.
Iako je i sam bio Bask, bio je žestoki protivnik baskijskog nacionalizma, koji je oživio 1960-tih, i , osobito, do tada ek nastale terorističke organizacije ETA-e.