Espías en la arena. Objetivo España (2016)

In 1942, General Franco's fascist government ambiguity towards its position in WW2 worries General Eisenhower, then Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces assigned to the invasion of North Africa, code named Operation Torch. The entry of Spain in the conflict besides the Axis forces compromises not only the outcome of Torch but the control of Gibraltar, the Mediterranean and all future operations in the South of Europe. Faced with this threat the Allied High Command conceives a series of countermeasures to be carried out on several fronts: the diplomatic, the economic, intelligence operations, the buying off Franco's generals and a major military operation known as "Operation Backbone" which contemplates the invasion of Spain. In this context, British and North American military intelligence agencies conduct extensive operations in Spain. During 1943 two missions "Banana" and "Apricot" are carried out in the cities of Malaga and Melilla. The assignment is the gathering of intelligence and to report any unusual troops movements that could mean an imminent Axis attack. Organized by Donald Downes, agent of the Office of Strategic Services, CIA's forerunner, its carried out by a group Spanish Republican exiles, member of the Spanish Communist Party. Through a rigorous study of the USA National Archives & Records Administration NARA records, the British National Archives, the Spanish police and judicial summaries and the Spanish Communist Party historical archives together with the testimony of direct relatives of the agents and historians this documentary reveals the unknown USA secret operations in Spain during World War II.