He was a writer, a member of the military and a historian. In 1974 he was one of the founders of the Union Militar Democrática. In 1981, after the coup d'état of 23-F, he left the army and worked as a university professor, a task he carried out in Barcelona and in several American universities.

He is the author of some twenty books, most of them dedicated to the study of the history of Spain during the 20th century.