Abstract

The British Council opened its first office in Madrid in 1940. It included an English language institute, a cultural centre and a children’s school. Based on new sources, this research (published as two separate articles in consecutive issues) examines the Council’s three-pronged work in wartime Spain: education, intelligence support activities and cultural diplomacy. It illuminates the crucial contribution made by Walter Starkie, the Hispanist who founded the Council’s Spanish branch. This article discusses the circumstances leading to the Council’s establishment in Madrid, and the opening of the British Institute School, the Council’s only school in the world to date.

摘要

英国文化协会于 1940 年在马德里开设了第一个办事处。它包括一所英语语言学院、一个文化中心和一所儿童学校。根据新的资料来源，这项研究（在连续问题中作为两篇单独的文章发表）审查了委员会在战时西班牙的三管齐下的工作：教育、情报支持活动和文化外交。它阐明了建立理事会西班牙分部的西班牙裔人士 Walter Starkie 的重要贡献。本文讨论了理事会在马德里成立的情况，以及理事会迄今为止世界上唯一的学校英国学院学校的开设。