Balancing Act: British Intelligence in Spain During the Second World War

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This book reveals the development, strategy and extraordinary success of Britains secret services in Francos Spain during the Second World War. The main claim of this study is that British pressure, exercised above all through their intelligence services, led Franco to distance himself from the Axis cause and eventually embrace that of the Allies. Starting from a virtually non-existent base, the British rapidly built up a complex intelligence network in Spain that stretched from Corunna to Barcelona and from Bilbao to Gibraltar. As Spain was a non-belligerent, spy networks -- including those of the Germans, Italians, Portuguese and British -- proliferated in the Iberian Peninsula. Double-agents abounded within these networks; each one knew what the others were up to. The British exploited this two-way traffic to let Franco know that if he did not accede to their demands, they would back a restoration of the Bourbon monarchy under Don Juan. This pressure culminated in the meeting of 1943 between Franco and the British Ambassador, Sir Samuel Hoare, at the dictators country retreat in Galicia, the British underlining their purpose by flying warplanes close by the estate. Following this meeting, Franco almost immediately began to move away from the Axis powers and towards the Allies. The British swiftly dismantled their intelligence networks given that they had achieved their aim. Francos expulsion of the German naval forces from Spanish ports and the denasification of the regime explains the benevolent attitude of the Allies towards the Spanish dictatorship after the war. Throughout this whole process, the British secret service, as this extensively researched study uncovers, played a crucial role. Cover Title Page Copyright Page Contents Preface by Series Editor Nigel Townson Acknowledgments List of Illustrations List of Abbreviations Introduction “There is no alternative”: The British Position in Relation to Spain before the Second World War 1 British Intelligence in Spain at the Outset of the Second World War The Creation of the Special Operations Executive and the Difficult Months of July to October 1940 From Beigbeder to Serrano: The Cards are Revealed (November 1940 to January 1941) 2 The Threat of German Invasion: Organizing the Resistance (Spring of 1941) The Impatient Wait: The Expansion of the Network (Summer–Winter 1941) A Change of Rhythm: The Allied Invasion of Northern Spain in 1942 3 Franco’s Most Complicated Year, 1943 How to Tip the Balance towards the Allies? The Doubts over Franco All or Nothing: The Crossroads of Pazo de Meirás (20 August 1943) The Letter of the Generals: September 1943 4 Franco and the Allies Face to Face 5 Spain Changes Sides, 1944–1945 Building the Bases of the Future Notes Select Bibliography Index About the Author About Sussex Academic Press