LA ACEPTACIÓN DE SAN MARTÍN A LA POLÉMICA CARTA LAFOND DESDE UNA PERSPECTIVA HISTÓRICO-PSICOLÓGICA

Abstract

This essay analyzes the Lafond Letter, supposedly sent by San Martín to Bolívar on 29.08.1822; it is the basis of the Río de la Plata Thesis, which argues that San Martín withdrew from the independence war after the Guayaquil Interview, selflessly so that Bolívar could go to Peru, who otherwise would not have done so selfishly. Naturally, this gave rise to the Colombian Thesis, which asserts that San Martín was forced to withdraw by force. In 1942, the letter was considered false by the Bolivarian history academies and by Argentina itself. But in 1950, it retracted and declared it authentic unequivocally. However, this research concludes that the letter is false, based on empirical verification and authoritative sources, including Argentine professors and personalities. The research used bibliographic, epistolary, and psychology applied to history as methods. Since the main objective of the essay is to understand San Martín's motivations for letting the letter circulate. It is concluded that San Martín manipulated the letter to improve his ego and image affected by his desertion and because he felt destructive death impulses: jealousy and hatred against Bolívar. The study highlights the historical importance of the Lafond Letter and the use of psychology in historical research.