Abstract

On 20 December 1973, an attack by ETA put an end to the lives of Franco's head of government, his chauffeur and his bodyguard. This had important consequences for both the dictatorship and the terrorist group. Based on the existing sources, historians have developed a fairly credible account of the events. Nevertheless, the fact that ETA had managed to assassinate such a prominent politician, combined with some loose ends in the police investigation and the absence of a sentence gave rise to all kinds of speculation. Furthermore, the case of Carrero Blanco has inspired narratives of uneven quality. In this paper we examine the interrelationship between history, conspiracy theories and fiction surrounding the attack.