the Peninsular Levante controlled by the Republic (including the bombings of Barcelona investigated as crimes against humanity). A Fascist squadristi, Arconovaldo Bonaccorsi, led a wild repression in the Balearic islands. World War II During World War II, 1939 to 1943, Spanish-Italian ties were close. Though Italy fought alongside Germany during the war, Spain was recovering from a civil war and remained neutral. In February 1941, the meeting between Mussolini and Franco in Bordighera took place; during the meeting the Duce asked Franco to join the Axis. The fall of Mussolini came as a shock to the Franco administration. During first few weeks the tightly-censored Spanish press limited themselves to laconic, matter-of-fact information when providing news on the Italian developments. However, after the Italian-American armistice had been made public, the Spanish papers extensively quoted the official German statement, which lambasted the Italian treason. Some Spanish officers sent their Italian military condecorations back to the Italian embassy in Madrid. Since mid-September 1943 two shadowy Italian states, the one headed by Mussolini and the one headed by king Victor Emmanuel III, competed for Spanish diplomatic recognition; the German diplomatic representatives in Madrid pressed the case of Mussolini, the Allied ones advised strongly against it. Following a period of hesitation, in late September Spain declared it would continue its official relations with the Kingdom of Italy. The Italian embassador in Madrid Paulucci di Calboli opted for the Badoglio government, even though some Italian consuls in Spain declared loyalty to Mussolini. The Spanish embassador in Fascist Italy, Raimundo Fernández-Cuesta, formally remained at the post of the Spanish representative in the Kingdom, though he returned to Madrid; in practice before the Badoglio administration Spain was represented by lower-rank officials. However, Spain maintained informal relations with Repubblica Sociale Italiana. The former Italian consul in Málaga, Eugenio Morreale, became an unofficial Mussolini representative in Madrid; the Spanish consul in Milan, Fernando Chantel, became an unofficial Franco representative in RSI. In practice, Spain maintained distance towards both the so-called Kingdom of the South and the RSI. Badoglio sought Madrid's good offices to expedite negotiations with the Allies, but he was turned down. However, also major Fascist figures who sought Spanish passports were almost always denied assistance. During final months of the war new embassadors were appointed by both Spain (José Antonio de Sangróniz y Castro) and the Kingdom of Italy (Tommaso Gallarati Scotti), though Sangróniz arrived no earlier than