"US Wanted Brazil to Participate in the Occupation"
American historian Frank McCann states that after the end of World War II, Allies asked for a Brazilian presence in Austria. Invitation, however, would not even have come to Getúlio and ended up only discussed at the military level.
At the end of World War II, Brazil was invited by the United States and United Kingdom to participate in the occupation of Austria. This possible participation, says the American historian Frank McCann, could have changed the Brazilian geopolitical position in the world
In an interview with DW, McCann says that the reasons that led to the refusal of the invitation are still unknown. Based on his research, however, he bets that the proposal did not even reach Getúlio Vargas and ended up being discussed only at the military level.
"There were 10,000 Brazilian men who did not fight, who were not exhausted and could have been put in trucks and taken to Austria, which is not very far, I would say they were able to participate in the occupation and had men for it," stress
DW Brazil :
What was the weight of FEB's participation in World War II?
Frank McCann : Brazil had a small division in the war, with 25,000 squares, little compared to other countries. But it was very important, because it was the first time that Brazil was involved in a war outside its territory. This changed their position in the world and also among the Allies. In addition, it was very important for the country in terms of pride.
In your research, you state that the Americans invited Brazil to participate in the occupation of Austria. How was this invitation made?
I researched American archives and found little about it, almost nothing. What we have are the testimonies of people who were in Italy, Brazilian diplomats and also American and British military men, who in letters talked about this invitation.
Why was the invitation made?
The Americans and the British needed troops, it was a matter of numbers. At the time of this conversation, the war had already ended in Europe, but it had not yet ended in the Pacific. US troops in Italy were sent to the Pacific. The Americans and British were worried about having enough troops fighting in this area, and the idea of sending men to occupy Austria did not seem very logical. But they needed others who could do it, and Brazil was there and had troops, it made sense to ask.
And what was the reaction of the Brazilians to the invitation?
Immediately Brazil, in the person of Lieutenant Colonel Castelo Branco, who was the head of the FEB operations section in Italy, opposed the invitation. And, apparently, Mascarenhas de Morais [FEB commander in World War II] also opposed it. I have seen a letter he wrote to Dutra in which he says that Brazilian troops were not adequately equipped to participate in the action. In fact, that was a lot of tin.
Because?
The decision is not a military matter, but a political one. It should have been a political decision, but I do not know if the invitation came to be politically debated. I did not find anything in the files of Getúlio Vargas indicating that he was consulted on the subject. It was not a decision of the government, that would imply that the ministers and the president had been involved. It was a military decision.
Are there indications of why the military rejected the occupation?
It seems that the decision was heavily influenced by what Mascarenhas was thinking. But I can not say why this occurred. However, it is possible that Mascarenhas and his team were exhausted, they did everything they could do and maybe that was all they could do.
But American officials wanted them to take part in the occupation. And that was a different thing than FEB was doing. It seems that Mascarenhas believed that his troops had not been properly trained for an occupation.
Based on your research, do you believe that Brazil was able to participate in the occupation at the time?
I can not say for certain, but the FEB had 25,000 squads in Italy in 1945, 15,000 of which took part in battles and another 10,000 were only in training. There were 10,000 men who did not fight, who were not exhausted and could have been put in trucks and taken to Austria, which is not very far. I would say they were able to take part in the occupation and they had men for it.
Was the refusal to occupy Austria a wise decision of the military?
Politically this was not a good decision, because that would have changed the country's status. Brazil as an ally would become part of the occupation forces. In a conversation I read, Castelo Branco tells an American officer that they were not part of the Allied Control Council [US, UK, USSR and France] and therefore should not participate in the occupation. I do not understand this logic, but I do not know what he was thinking, and if he really thought so or just followed Mascarenhas.
What were the consequences of this decision for Brazil?
We do not know what could have happened, but I think it could have increased the Brazilian prestige. It could have changed the discussion about a permanent chair for Brazil in the UN Security Council. Maybe I'm going too far, but it certainly would have increased Brazil's prestige and it might have been enough for the country to win the seat in the Council. But that could be difficult because the British and the Soviets opposed the Brazilian presence in the Council.
What other areas would have developed differently if Brazil had taken a different decision?
It would probably have changed the Brazilian relationship with the Soviet Union. They would have more direct contact with the Russian troops, since Austria bordered with Soviet-occupied regions. So the nature of the relations between Soviets and Brazilians would be different, but, in what way, I can not say.
