[1] His father was a professor of mathematics at the School of Agronomy, founded by Moisés Santiago Bertoni, and in 1940 she was transferred to San Lorenzo.

Franco's first assignment, with the rank of second lieutenant, was to Encarnación in the Department of Itapúa under the command of Colonel Pedro Mendoza.

On May 9, 1921, Franco was promoted to first lieutenant in the infantry and, on August 13 of the same year he was appointed commander of the machine gun group, with its seat in Asunción.

In 1928, acting without orders, Major Franco led an attack that seized and destroyed a Bolivian fort in the Chaco that had been constructed inside Paraguayan territory.

He suffered a leg injury, which left him with a limp, due to an accident in his last years at the Military College, when he fell from a horse in the basement of the Cabildo.

Franco was a founder and historic leader of Revolutionary Febrerista Party,[2] a full member of the Socialist International.

The government carried out Paraguay's first agrarian reform (5 May 1936),[2] distributing over 200,000 ha of land to 10,000 peasant families,[3] and introduced a one-year freeze on the prices of rents and leases.

On 24 February 1936, the government created the Central Bank of the Republic of Paraguay, which took over the role of the Stock Exchange and also became the sole conduit for foreign trade.

The Franco government provided access to Paraguay's first Japanese settlers, and also facilitated the return of Paraguayan prisoners of war from Bolivia.

[1] Franco undertook to restructure and modernize Paraguay's armed forces and sell weapons that had become worn-out or obsolete.

His government sought to acquire 60 Italian military aircraft in readiness for any threats from Paraguay's neighbours (including Bolivia) and in light of the serious developments then transpiring in Europe.

The original contract included: In addition, the government provided pensions to veterans and the war wounded, and delivered decorations and salaries to the regular army.

Franco maintained an adamant stance of not ceding any territory conquered by the Paraguayan army in the Chaco War.

The Franco government repealed the 1870 Constitution[1] and parliament, and called for a National Constituent Assembly to draft a new and updated Great Charter.

The government issued a new series of banknotes of 5, 10, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 heavy weights, and established a philatelic Section within the Directorate General of Post and Telegraph.

[1] The Franco government abolished entrance exams for National Schools and repealed fees on primary- and secondary-school studies.