The famous Hendaye interview (October 23, 1940) took place at the train station of this town, next to the Spanish-French border, and the following participated:Francisco Franco , Adolf Hitler , Ramón Suñer (Franco's brother-in-law and foreign minister),Joachim von Ribbentrop (German Foreign Minister) and the translators, Gross and Baron de las Torres .
Hitler wanted Spain to put aside her neutral position and go to war as compensation for the help given – men and military material – during the Spanish Civil War. Franco sympathized with the Axis forces and, moreover, was convinced of the German victory, but he also knew that Spain was still bleeding. So, he put on the table his requests to enter the war:funding and material for the army, Gibraltar and the French colonies in North Africa (Morocco, Oran...). Neither Franco nor Hitler got off the donkey... the tension could be cut. Hitler even threatened Franco:
If you don't go to war with me immediately, my tanks can occupy Spain in two weeks.
To which the undaunted Galician replied:
In two weeks? You don't know how the roads of Spain are to take it in two weeks!
And how right he was! More than half of the roads, to call them in some way, were made of macadam (several layers of stones compacted with a roller, without asphalt and designed for the transit of animal-drawn vehicles). Let us remember the image of the road laborer filling in potholes. This type of construction owes its name to the Scottish civil engineer John Loudon Mac Adam that he began to use it in 1820.
Thank you, John
Sources:The Adventure of History, Historiasiglo20 and The Years of Fear – Juan Eslava Galán.