In George Seldes' final book, Witness to a Century, he describes his encounter with Errol Flynn in Spain during the Civil War. The story goes that Flynn came to Spain intending to bring aid to the Republican/Loyalist forces. He assured Seldes he wished to build a hospital for the Republican and International Brigade and would supply medicines and food.
After a brief trip to the front lines and an encounter with gun fire, Flynn insisted on going to a whorehouse. Two days later, the New York Daily News published articles announcing Flynn's death at the Spanish Front. Other newspapers would later report that Flynn was alive but wounded in the face, near his eye. Flynn's travel companion, Hermann Erben, reported to the press that a bullet had grazed Flynn's face. Erben was well known to the F.B.I to be a German secret service agent whom Flynn met in Mexico.
Flynn drove to Barcelona to meet with other correspondents where he showed a bandage on his arm. He would later leave Spain, without ever sending any of the aid he promised. Seldes largely believes that this entire episode was orchestrated by Flynn himself to bolster up one of his own films. Seldes includes a note to the chapter stating that the U.S. government had evidence that Flynn was a spy for the Nazis before and throughout World War II.
The fourth collection of F.B.I. documents released through the Freedom of Information Act is now available at the
Internet Archive. This compilation includes 100 pages and contains numerous documents related to Flynn's activities throughout the world. The F.B.I devoted numerous reports to Flynn's affiliations with Hermann Erben, a German secret service agent. Some documents relate to Flynn bringing a radio to Mexico and meeting Erben repeatedly, who accompanied Flynn to Spain. Oddly, the Franco regime tried to deny Flynn access to Spain. The documents seem to include numerous reports on his activities in Spain but have been poorly copied.
However, another report investigating Communist Activities in the Motion Picture Industry lists Errol Flynn as a Communist Party member, or a Communist sympathizer. Heavily redacted documents include references to Flynn's activities in Cuba one month after the Revolution.
When Castro toppled the Batista regime, many of the casinos operating in Cuba were abandoned. The F.B.I. reports state that in February 1959, Flynn went to Cuba and met with Castro. Flynn was trying to acquire the Sans Souci Nightclub and Casino which was previously owned by Santo Trafficante Jr. The report says Flynn had monetary backing from people in the United States. Another report states that Castro asked Flynn to recommend someone to run the casino.
There are several documents that go on to state that while Flynn was visiting Castro's forces, they were fired upon. Like the incident in Spain, Flynn sustained a minor wound during the gunfight. He states that he was either grazed by a bullet or struck by a fragment of a wall he hid behind.
Reportedly, Flynn made the story up and as a result, infuriated Castro.
