Franco, Salazar and the Propagandists of Freedom (1936-1939)

Abstract

The article on "Franco, Salazar and the propagandists of freedom" studies the role played by Portuguese correspondents during the Spanish Civil War. This aspect, which remains totally unpublished in historiography, reveals important data on the role played by Portugal in the Spanish fratricidal conflict. In fact, Portugal was the country that sent the most informers to Spain between 1936 and 1939. Around thirty journalists travelled to our country with a clear propagandistic intention in favour of Franco's side, unconditionally supported from the very beginning by the Portuguese dictator Oliveira Salazar. Journalists such as Félix Correia, Leopoldo Nunes and Artur Portela, among others, published articles and reports in the Portuguese press in the international press that offered readers a completely benevolent view of the uprising, while denigrating those who declared themselves supporters of the Second Spanish Republic.