Written by Sheila Berrocal Fernández
Based on “La Oficina de Servicios Estratégicos en la Costa Brava. El Caso del Agente Secreto Melvin Lord.”.
Thesis for master’s in research in Humanities, Faculty of Humanities, the academic year 2023-2024, University of Girona. English translation by Montague Lord.

Summary: This study describes the role of the United States Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in the Costa Brava during the Second World War by analyzing the life of one of its secret agents, Melvin Lord. He, like other US agents in Spain, contributed to the favorable outcome of the Allies against the Axis forces in Europe in 1945.

Particular attention is given to the events that occurred during the time in which Melvin Lord worked as a secret agent on the Costa Brava, namely, 1942 to 1944. The findings are based largely on interviews with his son, Montague J. Lord, and the review of private family documentary sources.

Following an introduction, the material is divided into three chapters. The first chapter explores the origins, developments, and actions of the OSS as a precursor to the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The second focuses on the role of the OSS in Spain, paying particular attention to the secret networks created in Catalonia through the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean coast. The third chapter delves into the activities of Melvin Lord, investigating his network of agents and contacts, as well as significant covert actions with which he was tasked and the consequences of those actions for the overall objectives of the Allies in Europe.

Key words: Office of Strategic Services, Second World War, espionage, evasion networks, Costa Brava.