Manuel Coelho Baptista de Lima Military History Branch
The Angra do Heroísmo Museum continues its conference cycle, this time with a talk
dedicated to espionage during the Second World War (1939-1945).
During World War II, Hitler, Roosevelt, and Churchill planned to occupy the Azores to
establish air and naval bases on the islands. Their privileged position in the middle of the
Atlantic made them a strategic location—both for the Axis, as a platform for an attack
and invasion of the U.S., and for the Allies, who planned to use the islands to counter
German sinkings of British ships and submarines. Salazar delayed granting access to the
islands until 1943, citing neutrality. However, he did not prevent a decision made in
agreement with England, while also reaffirming Portuguese sovereignty over the territory.
Despite this neutrality, the islands became home to highly active German espionage
networks, supported by informants, which caused several diplomatic tensions. The large
number of spies, reported by the British, operating on the islands under the watchful eyes
of MI6 and the PVDE, put the world’s oldest diplomatic alliance—the Anglo-Portuguese
alliance—at risk.
Using documents preserved in the archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MNE),
this conference will unveil the spies who operated on the islands, the places they worked,
their missions, motivations, and modus operandi. Like a game of chess, every move was
carefully calculated, and any wrong move could have led to the occupation of the islands
and, ultimately, changed the course of the war.
MUSEUM OF ANGRA DO HEROÍSMO
MANUEL COELHO BAPTISTA DE LIMA MILITARY HISTORY CENTER. 8:00 PM
Open access