A Quiet Rebel: José Castellanos

About this episode

This episode discusses the story of José Castellanos Contreras and his act of civil disobedience during World War II to save Jewish lives.

This episode explores the often overlooked classical liberal tradition of civil disobedience through the remarkable story of José Castellanos Contreras, a Salvadoran diplomat who, during World War II, defied orders and international law to save thousands of Jewish people from Nazi death camps. His story, forgotten for decades, embodies the liberal conviction that moral law supersedes state authority.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Libertarianism.org

Topics covered

• civil disobedience
• classical liberalism
• World War II
• human rights
• diplomacy

Keywords

• José Castellanos
• civil disobedience
• classical liberalism
• World War II
• Nazi
• diplomat
• human rights

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Libertarianism.org

Places: Nazi death camps

More episodes of Portraits of Liberty

• Sociology’s Forgotten Origins: Khaldun, Ferguson, and Spencer · June 11, 2026 · 28 min
• A Martyr for Freedom of Speech: Helmuth Hübener · May 12, 2026 · 23 min
• The Making of Modern Japan: Fukuzawa Yukichi · April 7, 2026 · 21 min
• Cato’s Letters: Against Tyranny and Corruption · March 10, 2026 · 25 min
• A Son of the Forest: William Apess · February 10, 2026 · 19 min
• The Forgotten Polish Republican: Wawrzyniec Goślicki and the Rights of a Free Commonwealth · December 9, 2025 · 52 min