Brazil and the United States During World War II and Its Aftermath : Negotiating Alliance and Balancing Giants

The military alliance between the United States and Brazil played a critical role in the outcome of World War II, and yet it is largely overlooked in historiography of the war. In this definitive account, Frank D. McCann investigates Brazilian-American military relations from the 1930s through the years after the alliance ended in 1977. The two countries emerge as imbalanced giants with often divergent objectives and expectations. They nevertheless managed to form the Brazilian Expeditionary Force and a fighter squadron that fought in Italy under American command, making Brazil the only Latin American country to commit troops to the war. With the establishment of the U.S. Air Force base in Natal, Northeast Brazil become a vital staging area for air traffic supplying Allied forces in the Middle East and Asian theaters. McCann deftly analyzes newly opened Brazilian archives and declassified American intelligence files to offer a more nuanced account of how this alliance changed the course of World War II, and how the relationship deteriorated in the aftermath of the war Dedication 5 Preface 6 Contents 11 Abbreviations 12 List of Figures 14 Chapter 1: A Relationship of Unbalanced Giants 16 Similarities and Differences 16 Between the World Wars 24 World War II Alliance with the United States 25 Chapter 2: Pre-war Fears and Explorations 33 Brazilian Military Prior to Outbreak of War 33 American Fears and Brazilian Neutrality 37 Chiefs of Staff George Marshall and Góes Monteiro Exchange Visits 41 Neutrality and Cooperation 51 Vargas Sought Not to Alienate Germany 57 Chapter 3: Search for Mutual Benefits 72 Armaments Key to Brazilian Cooperation 72 “One More Good-Will Mission and Brazil Will Declare War on the U.S.A.” 82 Inaction and Distrust 84 Joint Planning Amidst Uncertainty 95 The Northeast Became Even More Strategically Important 97 Chapter 4: Brazil’s Options Narrow 111 Inter-American Conference at Rio de Janeiro (January 1942) 111 Rio Conference, January 1942 113 Worries About Argentina 130 Axis Submarine Attacks Brought the War to Brazil 131 Army Dissatisfaction with Ambassador Caffery 135 Lack of Confidence in Brazilian Arms 137 Political-Military Accord, May 1942 139 Then the Unexpected Happened 144 Chapter 5: Decision to Fight 154 Brazil and the United States Became Allies 154 Operation Brazil and Lone Wolf U-507 1942 156 August 1942 Disaster on the Coast of Sergipe and Bahia 161 Brazil Goes to War, August 1942 168 The Idea of a Brazilian Expeditionary Force 170 Natal Conference: Roosevelt and Vargas, January 1943 173 Chapter 6: The Brazilian Expeditionary Force: The Smoking Cobras 193 Reorganizing the Brazilian Army for War 194 Organization and Commitment of the Expeditionary Force 205 Performance of the Expeditionary Force 208 Chapter 7: Post-World War Disappointment 235 Military Staff Negotiations 236 American Military Views 240 No Occupation Role 241 The Pacific War 243 Vargas Overthrow 245 Chapter 8: Cold Wind from the East 258 Petroleum Development and Korean War 262 1952 Political-Military Accord 266 Post-Vargas Era Relations 269 Castro Era 271 1964 Coup and After: Dominican Republic and Vietnam 271 No Longer Allies But Still Friends? 284 The Last American 287 Index 302 Front Matter ....Pages i-xviii A Relationship of Unbalanced Giants (Frank D. McCann)....Pages 1-17 Pre-war Fears and Explorations (Frank D. McCann)....Pages 19-57 Search for Mutual Benefits (Frank D. McCann)....Pages 59-97 Brazil’s Options Narrow (Frank D. McCann)....Pages 99-141 Decision to Fight (Frank D. McCann)....Pages 143-181 The Brazilian Expeditionary Force: The Smoking Cobras (Frank D. McCann)....Pages 183-224 Post-World War Disappointment (Frank D. McCann)....Pages 225-247 Cold Wind from the East (Frank D. McCann)....Pages 249-292 Back Matter ....Pages 293-318