Evidence from Norwegian Archives of British Attempts to Remove Franco in 1946

Abstract

The decision of the British Labour Government in 1945 to maintain the policy of its predecessor, declining to intervene in Spain to bring about the removal of the government of General Franco, caused disappointment to many in labour movements both in Britain and elsewhere across Europe. It has hitherto been thought that this policy was consistently maintained throughout the period when Labour was in power, until 1951. This article draws mainly on Norwegian archival material to show that in 1946, despite its public assertions to the contrary, the British government was actually working both inside and outside Spain to try to remove Franco. It describes how the Norwegians approached their British counterparts to explore the possibility of concerted government action to remove Franco– and how they obtained information about Britain’s undisclosed Spanish policy. It provides a context permitting a fresh interpretation of Foreign Office documents dealing with the consequences of a Labour Party indiscretion in D...