[1] After the fall of Bilbao, almost all of Basque territory had fallen into Franco's hands.
Juan de Ajuriaguerra, the president of the Biscay Regional Council of the PNV, negotiated a surrender agreement with the Italian army command.
The PNV offered to surrender the Basque army in exchange of its prisoners being treated as prisoners-of-war under Italian command and PNV members being allowed to go to exile on British ships.
Ajuriaguerra, the highest ranked member of the PNV, was released from prison in 1943.
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