The best camouflage begins with words. Thus, while the German and Italian dictatorial regimes were initially characterized by their top leader (Hitlerism, Mussolinism), the more generic Nazism and Fascism gradually took over. In Spain, however, the opposite happened, and the figure of General Francisco Franco ended up covering everything up, including—and opportunely—the connivances of some, the changes of many, and the appeasement of many. This over-emphasis on the Leader It has also had historiographical consequences because many key figures of Franco's regime do not have good biographies or, worse still, they have not had time to whitewash their careers.

Rafael Sánchez Mazas (Madrid, 1894-1966) is a fundamental figure for understanding contemporary Spanish history. An intellectual, politician, and writer, he was a founding member of the Falange, a minister under Franco, and the main ideologue of Spanish National Catholic fascism. The protagonist of a life worthy of a film, full of adventures and pivotal moments, in January 1939 he was saved from being shot by Republican troops at the sanctuary of Santa María del Collell (Garrotxa). This episode made his fortune, and in 2001, the Girona writer Javier Cercas revived it, with a varying dose of fiction, for the plot of his novel. famous novel Soldiers of Salamis.