Spain was officially neutral in the Second World War, but its neutrality had a distinct lean. General Francisco Franco had come to power with critical assistance from Nazi Germany and fascist Italy during the Spanish Civil War. Spain hosted an extensive network of German intelligence operatives, the Abwehr agents who ran through the Iberian Peninsula using diplomatic cover and business fronts. A body found in Spanish territorial waters would be processed by Spanish authorities who had, at minimum, access to German intelligence contacts.
Huelva specifically was identified by a naval intelligence officer as a location with particularly active German intelligence connections. The German contact there was an Abwehr operative named Adolf Clauss, who operated under agricultural cover and had well-established lines to the Spanish naval authorities.
The ocean currents and tidal patterns off Huelva were also suitable. A body placed in the water at the right point would be carried toward shore rather than out to sea.
Glyndwr Michael’s body had been kept in refrigerated storage since his death on January 28, 1943. The refrigeration maintained the body’s condition within acceptable limits for the operation’s requirements, though not indefinitely. The window for deployment was roughly three months from death. As April approached, the operation was approaching its deadline.
The body was dressed in its Royal Marines uniform. The briefcase was chained to its coat. The personal effects were distributed in the pockets and about the body in the way a real officer might carry them. A life preserver was added, both to make the recovery appear consistent with a plane crash at sea and to ensure the body floated.