just to provide a nodus, the dictator in Spain at this time was named Franco. Franco died in 1975, and is still dead

I'm confused as to the use of nodus here - it seems more like a nexus than a nodus (which is a difficult problem, from the Latin for "knot," is it not?).

tsuwm: illumination, por favor.

Afterthoughts on Franco:

1. When I lived in Madrid (late 80's), my landlady was always lamenting how things were so much safer and more orderly when she was young. It just astonished me that someone was expressing nostalgia for the good old days of fascism. People continue to be a source of wonder.

2. I learned, while studying in Spain, that most of the world's large oil companies refused to provide fuel for Franco during the Spanish Civil War. This was especially critical for his air force, which the Republican forces could not challenge, and which gave Franco a tremendous advantage in his pursuit of the war. Sadly, Texaco (known to USn's as "the star of the American road" in their ad copy) chose to sell him the fuel he needed, and was thus instrumental in securing 40 years of fascism for Spain. (Note: source on this tale was an extremely knowledgeable, but somewhat partisan, professor - so supplementary info would be appreciated.)