Page 415 - 1992 - XVIII Congresso Internazionale di Storia Militare

THE 8M7.1LIAN MIUTARY PllliSENCE IN WORJ.O WI\R Il 381
ten councries wlch whom we had remarkable crading relations. Germany was in
che second piace rakiog one forch of our exporcs, only after che Unired St3les in
our cradings. The conflict forced che diversificacioo of our export lise aod deprived
us incernally of some producrs, suc.h as rice, corron, rubber and meat:, oor ro men-
tion S[fatcgìc minerals r.hat were n or always rationally exploired. Ac che end of che
war, Brazil had losr che old markers and was not able co keep che new ones, rerur-
ning co che traclirional condicion of being coffee, cocoa and corcon exporrer. The
Uniced Scaces became our mai n importer an d exporrer, accouncing for 6 1% of our
foreign commerce. The budgetary debr of che huge Brazilian war efforr, cogechec
wich che necessicy of issuing paper currency co fìnance che non-exponed produce
and w pay exporrers in advance for che foreign exchange credirs frozen in rhe Uni·
ced Scaces and Uniced Kiogdom, respecrively 2 billion doUars and 250 miUion pounds
scerting caused inflarion. Wirhour consideriog che losses of our merc.hanr fleet, che
paymeoc of almosr 2 billion marks for che purc.hase of milirary equipmenc char was
nor delivered, che operacional expenses wich che Armed Forces tora led 361 million
dollars - che lasr inscallmenr of which was paid on July l", 1954, the leasing of
freighteJ:S and oil cankers ac a symbolic price, Brazil was che ooly Sourh-American
country chat effectively rook part in rhe war operation bue was esduded ftom che
Conference o o War Reparations in Paris, and io chis way, di d nor receive aoy reim-
bursemenr for che fìnancial losses, as had been secded in rhe Yalra and Porsdam
Conferences.
From che frozen dollars, che Brerron Woods Conference settled char Brazil had
co comribute wich almost l billion dollars ro che lnreroacional Bank for Europe
Reconstrucdon. The sterling pounds froze.n in London, che resulc of expons made
during an d afcer che war, were used. co buy cquipmenr aod co srrenghren che fìnan-
cial posi don of Brirish companies in Bra zii. The famous " Lend a od Lease La w" ,
signed wirh che Unired Srates, induded all che supply icems senr ro fìghr che enemy
in che Arlancic aod in Jraly, as weU as all che eltpenses for che rraosportacion of
che Brazilian Expedicionary Force and for the hospicalizarion of che Brazilian sol-
diers abroad. Tberefore. even winning the war. we arrually finished up in a sirua·
don economically worse chan che defeated.
The war demonstrared d1ar che Braziliao Armed Forces were not prepared
for a modero warfare. Despire our vast coascline, we did nor have che menralicy
of a madùme country. The creation of rhe Air Minisrry, cenrratizing the e.mploy-
ment of che air forces shorcly before our emering accion, proved co be righe and
opportune. Larer, che crearion of che Naval Ai.r Force, due co che purchase of an
aircrafr carcie.( for che anti-submarine war, filled a gap nored during me opera-
cions in rhe Atlanti c. le emphasized tbe necessiry of a milirary c.b.ief orgaolzacion
co coordinare rhe ernployment of che Acmcd Forces in operarions, as welJ as ir im-
posed che posteriori crearion of che Armed Forces Generai Scaff. The Lend and
Lease law, that drained our weak economy so much. had a positive poinr:, permer·
ring che modernizacion and materia( upgrading of our Armed Forces. The military
professionatism, demanded. by che Amecican doetcine followed io che war, made
us con.scious o_f our pocenrialiries and vulnerabilities, opening space for che nario-