Abstract
Luis Carrero Blanco has been Franco's shadow and his life is one of the most mysterious in the Spanish history of the twentieth century. He always seemed to be a minor figure. He was from the middle-class, had little ambition but had an important working capacity and above all, he was absolutely loyal to Franco. Without being Franco's friend, he was however more than a simple counsellor. After more than twenty years of working in Franco's shadow, Carrero Blanco had at last a political part as a key figure: he was nominated vice-president of the government in 1967 and finally became president in 1973. However, ETA assassinated Carrero Blanco in December 1973 on his way back from church. The exceptional violence of the attack would forever be engraved in every Spaniard's memory.
