President Roosevelt to the British Prime Minister (Churchill)55
299. For the Former Naval Person. The circumstances of our peaceful occupation of the Azores and the attitude of cooperation [Page 536] and common endeavor of the Government of Portugal in my opinion, place an obligation upon us to furnish military assistance to Portugal. Under these circumstances, I believe that Salazar should be assured that military forces will be sent to Portugal.
The Axis thus far has avoided commitment in the Iberian Peninsula under very favorable circumstances, and even though the movement of United Nations’ forces into Portugal might precipitate an Axis invasion of Spain, that action appears unlikely. However, we must expect Germany to launch concentrated air and submarine attacks upon Portugal as retaliation and in order to impress neutral nations. It is inevitable that grave consequences would result if adequate provision were not made by the United Nations to meet this contingency.
A defensive force capable of providing the necessary initial assistance might include one infantry division, plus strong air defense elements consisting of 26 anti-aircraft battalions, ten day and two night fighter squadrons, two anti-submarine squadrons, together with supporting and service troops. Combat elements (less anti-aircraft troops) and possibly, though not probably, a part of the service units for this force could be obtained from the Mediterranean area with, however, a limiting effect on the scope of Priceless.56 The antiaircraft and the remainder of the service troops must be secured elsewhere, with a resulting effect on Overlord.57
A preliminary examination indicates that the provision of shipping for this force would limit the scope of Priceless and would cost Overlord from two to four divisions.
My suggested action in these circumstances will cause certain delays in operations agreed to in Trident.58 However, I believe that we must accept this interference.
I should appreciate having your views on the foregoing. I think there is something to be said for the thought that a peninsular campaign would be very difficult for the Axis and that secure landing places for us are not to be laughed off.
- Copy of telegram obtained from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, N.Y.↩
- Code name for the post-Husky operations in the Mediterranean; Husky is code name used for the Allied invasion of Sicily, July 1943.↩
- Code name used for Allied cross-Channel invasion of northwest Europe, June 1944.↩
- Code name for the conference at Washington between President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill and their advisers, May 12–May 24, 1943. Documentation regarding this conference is scheduled for publication in a subsequent volume of Foreign Relations.↩