Clara Stauffer

Clara Stauffer (1904 – October 4, 1984) was a Spanish Falangist and Nazi ratline operator. She was a member of the Sección Femenina, a women's Falangist group, during the Spanish Civil War. She served as its chief propagandist and later as its head of foreign affairs. She was involved with the group's efforts to strengthen ties between Francoist Spain and Nazi Germany in World War II. After the war, she was one of the most prominent smugglers of Nazi fugitives, giving them shelter in Spain and arranging their travel to Argentina.

Early life and Spanish Civil War Clara Stauffer was born in Madrid in 1904. Her father was Konrad Stauffer, a German brewer that had taken charge of the Mahou brewery after he immigrated to Spain in 1889. Her mother was Clara Sofía Loewe, while also spending time among Madrid's high society. During the Spanish Civil War, Stauffer worked as Sección Femenina's chief propagandist and was responsible for its press. The Spanish government tacitly endorsed the operation but advised them not to heavily publicize or formalize their work. Her work was primarily funded by Johannes Bernhardt, a German–Spanish businessman. including figures such as Léon Degrelle, Otto Skorzeny, and Adolf Eichmann.