SPANISH CIVIL WAR. The Soviet intelligence security services
played a critical role in Joseph Stalin’s strategy in the Spanish
Civil War to create a Soviet satellite state run by a communist party
absolutely loyal to Moscow. To achieve this end, the NKVDand
GRUtrained Republican intelligence and Special Forces for oper-
ations against General Francisco Franco’s army. The NKVD was
also used to destroy any potential opposition within Republican
ranks. NKVD executioners, working with Spanish colleagues, mur-
dered thousands of Trotskyites, Anarchists, and disloyal commu-
nists. NKVD resident Alexander Orlovmasterminded these terror-
ist operations and persuaded the Republican government to allow
the country’s gold supply, reportedly $700 million, to be shipped to
the Soviet Union for safekeeping.
Stalin’s paranoia and the NKVD’s tactics in Spain were a major
reason for Franco’s eventual victory. Both services kept lists of Span-
ish officers and international volunteers to be shot: the only reason
was their lack of affection for the Communist Party. This spasmodic
persecution of enemies in the Republican camp reduced the effec-
tiveness of the armed forces. Militants who could have been em-
ployed against Franco were murdered in the executionchambers of
the NKVD. Moreover, as defeat became obvious, NKVD and GRU
officers blamed and denounced each other, damaging relations be-
tween the services and weakening their ability to serve the Republi-
can cause. The end of the war came in 1939 with a total Franco vic-
tory. At the end, 20,000 Spanish citizens left for the Soviet Union.
Among them were 2,000 children and many of their teachers. They
were only able to return to Spain after 1970.
Stalin deeply distrusted the Red Army, NKVD, and GRU special-
ists who served in Spain. Many were executed on their return from
the battlefield. Among those executed were senior GRU and NKVD
officers, as well as Red Army pilots and military advisors. Two of the
most famous “Spaniards” to be executed were Vladimir Antonov-
Ovsenko, whom Leninhad selected to lead the attack on the Winter
Palace on 7 November 1917, and Mikhail Koltsov, the “Soviet Hem-
ingway,” who was known for his coverage of the war. Both were ar-
rested hours after interviews with Stalin in the Kremlin. Neverthe-
less, the Soviet experience in Spain benefited Stalin’s intelligence
services and prepared them for war on a larger front four years later248 •SPANISH CIVIL WAR06-313 P-Z.qxd 7/27/06 7:57 AM Page 248