New book reveals how US agents secretly aided Communist rebels

MADRID (Spain): AN AMAZING STORY of how American secret agents trained Spanish Communists to undermine Spain's pro-Nazi dictatorship is revealed in a newly released book.
During World War Two the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) ran camps in North Africa where men were trained in guerrilla warfare then infiltrated into Spain to undermine the Franco regime.
Spain was officially neutral but General Franco was actually aiding Germany's war effort.
Details are revealed in a new edition of the highly acclaimed book, Between Two Fires — Guerrilla war in the Spanish sierras.
This is the first-ever account in English of a brutal conflict in the mountains of southern Spain. Due to strict censorship, the rebellion against Franco of the 1940s went virtually unreported at the time.
On one side were the guerrillas, secretly organised by Communists. On the other were Franco's soldiers and Civil Guards. The sierras echoed to the crackle of gunfire as the authorities tried to track down the guerrillas.
Kidnappings and ransom payments were common. Atrocities were committed by both sides and the country folk lived in a state of fear.
Author David Baird vividly illustrates the state of siege that existed with first-person accounts of the few survivors in Malaga province of those tortured years.
In the course of his five-year investigation, he unearthed details of how initially the USA supplied arms and expertise to the Communist rebels and also of a brutal crime covered up for 50 years.
Paul Preston, respected author of The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939 and many other books on recent Spanish history, says: "This superbly written book could not be more timely."
Between Two Fires, which retails for €14.90, US$19.90, or £12.90, can be ordered online from leading websites such as Amazon or direct from the publisher, Maroma Press.
Mark Williams, American author of A History of Spain, comments: “It's a masterful job! Every kid growing up in southern Spain should be required to read this book to place his/her life in perspective. When all the travel articles and books are forgotten this book will be author David Baird’s ultimate legacy."
Ian Gibson, author of acclaimed biographies of Lorca and Dalí, declares in his prologue: "There could be nobody better suited to tell this story than David Baird, and he has done so magnificently."
Other tributes from writers and critics around the world include: “Profoundly researched, deeply sympathetic to the subject and compellingly written.” — author Perrott Phillips (London).
“Absolutely rivetting…a wonderfully evocative footnote to history presumably experienced in many parts of Spain. I can’t put it down…a great piece of research, and a story beautifully told. It’s a joy to read.” — Phillip Grenard (Sydney).
“A great work. It should make a big contribution to the history of the Franco rule.” — Charles Snyder (Washington).

Maroma Press is a Spain-based publishing company, which specialises in English-language books with Spanish themes, fiction and non-fiction, including travel and history. website: http://maromapress.wordpress.com/
email: maroma.press@gmail.com

Maroma Press
Calle Real, 76
29788 Frigiliana
(Málaga)
Spain
Tel. +34-952533100
website: http://maromapress.wordpress.com/
email: maroma.press@gmail.com
Chief executive: David Baird
email: davidbaird@terra.es

This release was published on openPR.