The so-called Pacts of Madrid of 1953 were three "executive agreements" signed in Madrid on September 23, 1953, between the United States and Spain, then under the dictatorship of General Franco. Under these agreements, five U.S. military bases were to be established on Spanish soil in exchange for economic and military aid. For the Francoist regime, these pacts, alongside the concordat with the Catholic Church signed a month earlier, marked its definitive integration into the Western bloc after years of isolation following World War II due to its ties with the Axis powers. The Spanish government also received additional assistance known as "American aid."