Actor Leslie Howard kept Spain out of WWII, claims author
The actor, 50, was returning to Britain after a trip through Spain and Portugal when his passenger aircraft was shot down by the Luftwaffe in 1943.
A Spanish author has claimed that the actor had secretly met with General Franco to convey a message to the fascist dictator in a bid to prevent him from joining forces with Hitler and Mussolini.
José Rey-Ximena claims that Howard used a former lover to get close to the dictator after being given the special mission by Winston Churchill.
"Thanks to him, at least in theory, Spain was persuaded to stay out of the war," Mr Rey-Ximena claimed of the actor famous for his portrayal of Ashley Wilkes, in the 1939 film Gone with the Wind.
Read entire article at Telegraph (UK)
A Spanish author has claimed that the actor had secretly met with General Franco to convey a message to the fascist dictator in a bid to prevent him from joining forces with Hitler and Mussolini.
José Rey-Ximena claims that Howard used a former lover to get close to the dictator after being given the special mission by Winston Churchill.
"Thanks to him, at least in theory, Spain was persuaded to stay out of the war," Mr Rey-Ximena claimed of the actor famous for his portrayal of Ashley Wilkes, in the 1939 film Gone with the Wind.