  The fear that Santayana’s autobiography would be lost or destroyed during World War II, led Scribner’s, the publisher, to conspire with the U.S. Department of State, the Vatican, and the Spanish government to bring the manuscript of the first part (Persons and Places) out of Rome sub rosa, despite the Italian government’s refusal to allow any mail to the U.S. The manuscript for the second part (The Middle Span, 1945) also was conveyed surreptitiously to New York. The third part (My Host the World, 1953) was published after Santayana’s death. His autobiography provides the basis for understanding the development of his philosophy