A Part of Us

It would be better for a united America to lose this war than for America to remain disunited; for a united America would rise from defeat, but if a part of tis won and a part of us lost, we would remain divided forever.

So said Mauricio Nabuco, Secretary-general of the Brazilian Foreign Ministry, at last January's Rio conference. Last week Pan-American unity got its biggest tangible boost in World War II when Brazil became the first South American country formally to declare war on Germany and Italy.* (Japan having committed no aggression against Brazil, was omitted from the declaration.)

In a few short days prior to the declaration, submarines had sunk six Brazilian ships, bringing Brazil'stotal of Axis-sunk ships to 19. Lost with the ships were 169 Brazilian officers and soldiers and more than 600 civilians. As the news reached Rio, crowds swarmed into the Avenida Rio Branco, smashed windows of Axis stores, burned Nazi flags, clamored for war.

Appearing in public for the first time since his automobile accident last spring, Brazil's President Getulio Vargas promised: "Brazil will defend her waters, will man her coasts." He tried to quiet the people with announcements that U.S. and Brazilian flyers had sunk seven Axis submarines, that German diplomats had been seized as hostages for Brazilians held by the Nazis, that Axis nationals in Brazil had been warned they might be shipped off to labor camps.

The People Growled. Obviously Getulio Vargas had qualms about departing from his policy of militant defense. And he may have had good reasons: Axis submarines might have concentrated on Brazilian ships intentionally to provoke war and thus to draw bigger U.S. forces into the South Atlantic; Axis strategists might be trying to cut communications between Brazil's vulnerable hump and the south, preparatory to an attack from Dakar.

But, though Vargas made them stop parading, Brazilians, traditionally jealous of European encroachments, growled for war behind closed doors. Echoes of their growls reached Vargas, who hesitated no longer. Summoning his Cabinet, he had it draw up a sober official statement:

"In view of acts of war against our sovereignty, a state of belligerence is recognized between Brazil and the aggressor nations, Germany and Italy."

Already the radio had spread the news to the Brazilian people and they chattered in sidewalk cafes, discussing who among them might volunteer, sizing up the part South America's biggest nation might play in World War II.

Bigger in area than the U.S., Brazil has a population of more than 40,000,000, of whom 1,000,000 are of pure German stock and 2,000,000 of Italian. Its small conscript army, recently expanded with U.S. technical assistance, numbers little more than 100,000 men, with an estimated 300,000 in reserve--just about large enough to squash possible fifth columns. Armed with World War I French artillery, the army ordered more from Germany in 1938, received cannon but little ammunition. Under Lend-Lease it has received additional arms from the U.S., but is still pitifully equipped to resist Blitzkrieg.

Brazil's Air Force, many of whose pilots are U.S.-trained, in 1940 had an estimated total of only 400 planes. But poor communications have recently made Brazil feverishly air-minded, and with U.S. assistance it has built some 600 new landing fields.

Since 1923, a U.S. Naval mission has been helping Brazil recondition its antiquated navy. It has two 19,000-ton battleships, built in 1908 and 1909 but now modernized, two cruisers of the same vintage, nine destroyers, four comparatively modern Italian-built submarines, eight minelayers, two minesweepers, some 15 auxiliaries. For the last few months the Brazilian Navy has quietly done yeoman service with U.S. South Atlantic convoys.

Credits & Debits. The biggest Brazilian contributions to the United Nations, however, are political and geographic. Only 1,800 miles from Vichyfrench Dakar, the Brazilian hump provides a handy springboard for a possible future attack on that already half-hostile base. Because of its size and influence, belligerent Brazil elbows the whole South American continent closer to World War II. Already there are signs that Uruguay may follow Brazil's lead, that Chile may break relations with the Axis. This may help to balance the activities of Argentina, Brazil's chief rival for influence over smaller South American countries. Glumly neutral Argentina, though it planned to grant Brazil nonbelligerent status, may try to cram Paraguay into its pocket and sew up Bolivia with new commercial accords.

To total Pan-American unity the meaning of Brazil's belligerency in World War II may still be dubious. But to a U.S. engaged in global war it was reassurance that the power of a trustworthy friend would embrace half the South American continent. In a message to President Vargas, President Roosevelt said: "I express to Your Excellency the profound emotion with which [Brazil's] courageous action has been received in this country. ... It adds power and strength, moral and material, to the armies of liberty."

* In World War I Brazil was the sole South American nation to follow the U.S. lead into active belligerency.

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