Hitler sent Canaris to use his Spanish relationships in an effort to bring Francisco Franco's Spain into the Second World War. What passed in the meetings is unknown, so there is no basis here for claiming that Canaris deliberately sabotaged the mission. Spain remained neutral, Hitler was displeased, and Canaris was not immediately punished. Franco's postwar decision to provide a pension for Canaris's widow suggests a personal connection without resolving what passed between the two men.
Notable Point · 1:36-2:18
Canaris's Spanish mission and the Franco connection
Hitler used Canaris's Spanish contacts to seek Spain's entry into the war, while the outcome and Franco's later support for his widow leave the mission's private substance uncertain.