Unidos en la lucha contra el Eje. El Gobierno Vasco, las agencias de información estadounidenses y el tour propagandístico de José Antonio Aguirre por Latinoamérica de 1942

Abstract

The latest research has rescued the work of some Spanish spies and propagandists who fought Nazism from different South American countries during World War II. Nevertheless, of all the abundant information that this conflict has generated, the collaboration between the Basque Government and the United States is one of the least known episodes. For that reason, the study of the propaganda trip that Lehendakari Aguirre made to South America in 1942 allows us to approach an insufficiently known occurrence: the information activities, political lobbying and propaganda in favor of the Allies that prominent personalities of the Spanish Republican exile made in America. Throughout this article, the relations maintained between Basques and Americans in the field of information and propaganda are analyzed, highlighting the tour of Aguirre as a turning point for the maintenance of these relations over time. Likewise, new information is provided on the agreement between Basques and Americans on matters of espionage. Finally, this tour is considered as the previous step to the establishment of cells of the Basque information service in Latin America.