The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia
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Portugal had small Pacific colonies at Goa (on the west coast of the Indian subcontinent), Macau (near Hong Kong), and East Timor. Although Portugal remained neutral throughout the Second World War, neither the Allies nor the Japanese were terribly particular about respecting Portuguese neutrality. Goa became a haven for Axis agents, Macau was left largely untouched, and East Timor was occupied successively by the Australians and then the Japanese.
Portugal was led by dictator Antonio Salazar, who
shared the pro-Axis leanings of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco but
had an even more powerful survival instinct. Allied desire to base
forces in the Azores and to control Portugal's tungsten production led the Allies
to tread carefully in Europe, and British diplomacy based on a treaty dating
back to 1373 was successful in gradually pulling Portugal away from the
Axis.
References
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2010 by Kent G. Budge. Index
