Education, intelligence and cultural diplomacy at the British Council in Madrid, 1940–1941, Part 2: shock troops in the war of ideas

In 1940, the British Council founded its first Spanish branch by launching a new school for children as well as a rich cultural programme to counter Nazi and Fascist propaganda in Madrid. Secretly, it also supported the British Intelligence Services’ wartime effort. Based on new sources, the current...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Pérez de Arcos, M
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: Routledge 2021
Description
Summary:In 1940, the British Council founded its first Spanish branch by launching a new school for children as well as a rich cultural programme to counter Nazi and Fascist propaganda in Madrid. Secretly, it also supported the British Intelligence Services’ wartime effort. Based on new sources, the current article (the second in a two-part series) examines these activities in the early 1940s. It also brings to light the crucial contribution of the Council’s first representative in Spain, Walter Starkie. No other British Hispanist has played the role of cultural diplomat in Spain with such great practical significance.