Hunting Nazis in Franco’s Spain

233 Pages·2014·6.26 MB·English

by  David A. Messenger

Hunting Nazis
in Franco’s Spain
subvention provided by
Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford
HUNTING
NAZIS
IN
FRANCO'S
SPAIN
DAVID A. MESSENGER
louisiana state university press baton rouge
Published by Louisiana State University Press
Copyright © 2014 by Louisiana State University Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
First printing
designer: Michelle A. Neustrom
typeface: Chaparral Pro
printer andbinder: Maple Press
library of congress cataloging-in-publication data
Messenger, David A.
Hunting Nazis in Franco’s Spain / David A. Messenger.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8071-5563-9 (hardcover : alkaline paper) — ISBN 978-0-
8071-5564-6 (pdf) — ISBN 978-0-8071-5565-3 (epub) — ISBN 978-0-8071-
5566-0 (mobi) 1. Denazification—Spain—History. 2. Nazis—Spain—
History. 3. Germans—Spain—History—20th century. 4. Fugitives from
justice—Spain—History—20th century. 5. Spain—History—1939–1975.
6. Spain—Relations—Germany. 7. Germany—Relations—Spain. 8. Al-
lied Powers (1919– ) 9. Repatriation—Europe—History—20th century.
10. National security—Europe—History—20th century. I. Title.
DP270.M47 2014
946.082—dc23
2013041712
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and
durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity
of the Council on Library Resources. (cid:2)(cid:2)
For Maureena, William, and Jack,
with love
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Contents
acknowledgments ix
abbreviations xi
Introduction 1
1.Denazification, Neutrality, and European Security
after World War II 11
2.Intelligence Wars: Nazi and Allied Spies in Neutral
Spain during and after the War 37
3.Neutrality, Postwar Politics, and the Diplomacy
of Repatriation 70
4.Petitions to Franco: German Activism and the Fight
to Stay in Spain 99
5.The Fate of Repatriation in Germany, Spain,
and Beyond, 1947–1948 132
Conclusion 162
notes 171
bibliography 201
index 211
vii
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Acknowledgments
This project began as I completed my dissertation and first book and
found myself in possession of a great deal of material on Allied intel-
ligence in Spain that I had not used. A grant from the Center for Ad-
vanced Holocaust Studies at the United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum (USHMM) in 2006 allowed me to participate in a seminar
entitled “Intelligence and the Holocaust,” which helped me to refine
my ideas, to see how I could use material I had already collected,
and to focus on what I needed to do to make a worthwhile project
on the subject of Allied repatriation policy in Spain. I am grateful
to Gerhard Weinberg, one of the seminar’s leaders, as well as to the
seminar participants, Steve Tyas, Kerstin von Lingen, and Michael
Salter, for encouraging me in this work and providing support and
feedback. Katrin Paehler, whom I first met at the seminar, has been
incredibly supportive and incredibly willing to discuss writing, edit-
ing, and thinking on any and all issues concerning the fate of various
Nazis after World War II; I am truly grateful. Hilary Earl, Carole Fink,
Norman Goda, Sandie Holguín, and the welcoming community of
the Association for Spanish and Portuguese Historical Studies en-
couraged this work, read pieces of it, and heard many papers that
show up in bits and pieces throughout the book. At the University
of Wyoming, Erin Abraham and Nevin Aiken read and discussed as-
pects of this project and, as nonspecialists, provided me with impor-
tant insights. Chris Muscato and most especially Joanne Allen are
thanked for their work on editing and copyediting the book. Finally,
the comments of the readers assigned by LSU Press and the active
encouragement over many years from Alisa Plant at the Press helped
bring this project to its completion.
ix