London.
Foreign Office
The room was tense.
Sir Robert Vansittart stood at the head of the polished oak table, fingers drumming against a dossier titled.
"Spain: Internal Collapse Imminent?"
Around him sat senior members of the Foreign Office, military observers, and members of the Admiralty.
A junior official read aloud from a briefing note. "As of today, civil unrest in Spain has reached critical thresholds. Reports from Valencia, Zaragoza, and Seville all indicate widespread violence. The Falange has rearmed underground. The Popular Front government is paralyzed."
Sir Anthony Eden spoke next, voice measured. "Gentlemen, we must ask the fundamental question. If Spain descends into civil war... where do we stand?"
One admiral replied sharply, "It's not just Spain. It's Bolshevism versus Fascism, sir."
Vansittart nodded. "That's precisely the point. If Spain fractures, Europe fractures with it."
"Should we not issue a formal position?"
