3. He Worked with Nazi Leaders
It was no secret that Franco and Hitler spoke and that Franco was willing to work with Nazi leaders for the war effort. Both Franco and Hitler believed that one day Spain would enter the war, at a time when it would be good for both countries. So Francisco Franco did start taking steps for when he would be allies with Germany.
He told his regime to make a list of every Jew living within Spain. He gave that list to Heinrich Himmler. Himmler was one of the most powerful Nazi leaders in Germany and one of the architects of the Holocaust. This list was created and delivered to Germany in 1941, but Spain never entered the war, the Nazis never went after the people on the list. They all lived out their lives in safety in Spain.
In fact, Franco did have some heart during the war and even allowed more 40,000 refugees from the war into Spain. Spaniards themselves had no issues with the Jewish population and even went as far as to save Jewish lives during the war. But there was always the looming threat of Franco’s sympathies toward the Axis powers and how far he would go if ever he became allied with them.
After the war, Franco’s support of the Nazis continued. He provided an number of Nazis refuge after the war and kept them hidden from the Allies. More than 100 Nazis were given a new identity and allowed to live out their lives in Spain, hidden away from those seeking retribution for war crimes committed by the Nazis.