In a particularly astute move, he attached himself to the Nationalist, or Francoist, side of the conflict when the vast majority of foreign journalists—then as now tending to be a liberal lot—flocked to the more sympathetic Republicans. His standing among the Nationalists had been solidified in late 1937 when the press car he was traveling in was destroyed by a Republican artillery shell; of the four journalists in the car, only Philby survived. Thus bloodied, Philby gained the acceptance and confidences of those in General Francisco Franco’s inner circle, confidences he then passed on to his
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