 His father, José María Semprún Gurrea (1893–1966), was a liberal politician and served as a diplomat for the Republic of Spain during the Spanish Civil War.In the wake of the military uprising led by General Franco in July 1936, the Semprún family moved to France, and then to The Hague where his father was a diplomat, representing the Republic of Spain in the Netherlands.After the Netherlands officially recognized the Franco government in the beginning of 1939, the family returned to France as refugees.