Education, Intelligence and Cultural Diplomacy at the British Council in Madrid, 1940–1941 Part 2: Shock Troops in the War of Ideas

* This work was supported by a British Spanish Society and Santander Universities scholarship. This article is dedicated to my parents, who encouraged me to think outside the box and trust the archives, and instilled in me a thirst for knowledge.

Figures & data

Figure 1 Dr Martínez Alonso (far left), Walter Starkie (second left) and Ramona de Vicente, Dr Martínez Alonso’s wife (far right), at a party in Madrid (1949). Photo courtesy of Patricia Martínez de Vicente.

Figure 2 Dr Martínez Alonso’s sketch of the escape route into Portugal from Galicia (1943). The National Archives, HS9/26/5.

Figure 3 Flamenco party at the British Institute in Madrid (1941 or 1943). Walter Starkie and his wife, stand at the foot of the staircase. A poster of Winston Churchill hangs on the right, next to the library signpost. Photograph reproduced courtesy of Mr John Murray.