A few years ago, there had been debate on whether our National Anthem should ever be sung in another language when other versions started to arise. As you can see from the Smithsonian website, during World War II the United States government desired a true Spanish translation to share with other nations for diplomatic reasons and international trade concerns.
To learn about the official Spanish translation, the woman behind it and the reasons why it was requested by our United States Government, please see the National Museum of American History website. The exhibit includes the contract for the translation between Clotilde Arias and then Assistant Secretary of State Donald S. Russell. The online version of the exhibition is 10 pages, and the Scrapbook page, (page 9), contains many more documents, articles and photos of her life and work that you can access by clicking on the photo of Clotilde Arias in front of the Golden GateBridge.
The photos of Clotilde Arias from her scrapbook and at her piano, as well as the State Department letter are from the National Museum of American History, part of the Smithsonian Institution. All other photos courtesy Ron Arias.
