Page 409 - 1992 - XVIII Congresso Internazionale di Storia Militare

THE BRAZILIAN MILITARY PRESENCE IN WORLD WAR Il

LUJZ PAULO MACEDO CARVALHO

Why Brazil wcnt to war
Brazil was forced co participate in tbe World War ll because of ics culture.
ics geopolitica[ importance, ics Pan·American solidaricy spirit, for ideologica[ rea·
son and because of che German·ltalian U·boar arracks.
Peaceful by nature our people had good reason to remai n neurral, mainly be·
cause of the contriburion given by great contigems of ltalian and German immi·
grams, setded specially in the Southeasr and South of Brazil.
The geopolitica[ imporrance of our subconrinental cerriwry (che fìfth in che
World), with an 8000 km coastline giving on rhe Sourh Atlanric, conraining appre·
ciable demographic power and strategie natura! resources, did not permit us co
scay neutra! in che world conflicc.
Even being under a ci vii dicratorial regime. thar was arnaeted to Berli n and
Rome governmeots, Brazilian people - freedom Lovers - repudiaced the Nazi·
Fascist ideology.
A member of che America n commuoicy, Brazil participated in che Firsc Con·
sulration Meeting of che American Foreign Affairs .Minisrers, chat cook piace in
Panama Ciry, io Ocrober 1940, in order to skerch a defense srraregy forche \Yie·
srern Hemisphere.
le srated the neurraliry of che counuies on rhis side of che Arlamic within a
securiry zone of 300 miles around che continenr. Firsr of ali. such measure was
ro guaramee che supply of indispensable rato.• macetiaJ ro che Unired States.
ln 1940, after rhe fa li ofFrance, anotber Consultation Meeting of Foreigo Af·
fair Mioisrers cook piace in Havana, Cuba. Tbe result was tbe joinr sraremem thac
any arrack launched by non·American councries agaiost an America n oation would
be considered as an aggression co aU che counrries io tbe concinem, an escablished
principle of che Pan·American doctrine.
Oo January, 28'\ 1942, acche end of the lil Consultation Meeting of rhe Fo·
ceign Affairs Minisrers, in Rio de Janeiro, bccause of tbe Japanese a crack on Pearl
Harbor, Brazil broke off diploma tic relacions witb tbe .. Axis" powers - Germa·
ny, lraly and Japan.
Afcer tbe 9'h of December 1941, Hitler gave permission ro rhe Generai Com·
mand of Submarines co acr in che warer inside rhe Pan·American Securiry Zone.