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THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT
TO BE KEPT UNDER LOCK AND KEY,
It is requested that special care may be taken to ensure the secrecy of this document.
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ECRET.
0.5. (40)
WAR CADINE T.
CHIEFS OF STAFF COMMITTEE.
THE ROLE OF PORTUGAL.
Draft Report.
COPY NO.
At the request of the Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs we have reviewed the strategic position
arising out of the attitude of Portugal, in the light of
recent developments and of the present state of the war.
Previous Examination.
2.
When we made our previous examination, shortly before
the present war began (Paper No. C.0.S.973), we had not only to anticipate the likelihood of war with Italy, as well
as with Germany, but also to take account of a possibly hostile Spain, and of the potential threat from Japan in the
Far East once war had broken out in Europe.
3.
The potential dangers from so powerful a combination
of enemies made it imperative to restrict our defence
commitments to absolutely vital requirements. For this reason we advised that, on strategic grounds, it would be in our best interests for Portugal to remain neutral,
even though we should be thereby denied the use of Portuguese bases, of which, in the situation envisaged in
At the paragraph 2 above, we might have stood in sore need. same time, we expressed the hope that Portugal would exercise the maximum amount of benevolence towards us.
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