Meeting Between Franco and Hitler Franco in Hendaye, 23 October 1940

When the pagan Nazi Germany attacked Catholic Poland on 1 September 1939, Francoist propaganda supported the former. This was the start of six years of war during which Francoist leaders displayed fanaticism, ambition, and opportunism. At various moments, their actions brought the country to the verge of becoming involved in the war even though after suffering through three years of civil war, most of the population looked on the possibility with horror.

The first key moment for the dictatorship came with the defeat of France in June 1940. In Franco’s eyes, the world war was almost over and he wanted, with German help, to build an empire in North Africa at the expense of French colonies there. For this reason, Spain changed its status from neutral to non-belligerent, the same step Mussolini had taken before joining the war. Spain would not return to being a neutral until October 1943, when Italy had withdrawn from the war, and even then, it was more theoretical than real.

When Franco met with Hitler in Hendaye on 23 October, they could not come to an agreement. (The meeting was commemorated in the poster shown here.) The Spanish dictator was asking for much but had Little to offer in return. He did say that he would enter the war if Hitler asked. Fortunately, he never did. If Spain had entered the war, the British would have attacked, with the Canary Islands as their first target. Nevertheless, the Spaniards and Germans did begin to prepare for an attack on Gibraltar that never came. The Spanish high command also drew up plans for an invasion of Portugal. All the while, Spain continued to provide Germany with logistical and espionage support and the provision of primary materials. Francoist propaganda heaped praise on the Nazis and insults on the British. 

The second key moment came with the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. Franco quickly sent the Blue Division to fight alongside the Germans. Fortunately for Spain, the Allies did not respond by declaring war. This was something the regime feared. When the Allies landed in North Africa in November 1942, Franco and his ministers briefly thought that they would seize Spanish Morocco as a first step towards moving on the Iberian Peninsula.

Only in October 1944 did Spanish foreign policy began to move towards genuine neutrality. At the start of 1945, Francoism invented the theory of the tree wars to justify its past actions. In the war between Nazi Germany and the Allies, Spain had remained neutral; in the war between the Germans and the Soviets it had been pro-German; and in the war between the Allies and Japan, pro-Allied. No one believed it and, as a result, Spain spent many more years as an impoverished international pariah.