Chapter 1148 Convincing Portugal

Arriving in Lisbon, the person who stepped in to communicate with Alan Wilson was Caetano, Salazar’s assistant.

Allen Wilson remembered this person as if he was the Prime Minister of Portugal after Salazar, and greeted him in a friendly manner, “Mr. Caetano, as people say, is full of scholarly manners.”

“I am also now rector of the University of Lisbon.” Caetano replied happily, “Sir Wilson, welcome to Lisbon, we value Britain, always have.”

“Britain can also feel this importance, and I have been in contact with Portugal for nearly ten years. Mr. Caetano should know that I have really helped Portugal quite a bit.” Alan Wilson didn’t mean to take credit, but it was true, he had really helped Portugal a lot, from Goa and Macau to Timor Island and even Portuguese Africa.

When it comes to the relationship between Portugal and Britain, it’s a long story, from the beginning of the Spanish Succession War in the early 18th century when Portugal followed Britain into the Habsburg camp, Portugal was reduced to a British vassal.

Portugal was economically controlled by Britain, and many of its national industries were unable to compete with Britain, relying on cheap British industrial goods, and the economy relied heavily on the export of primary products such as wine, cask cork, and sardines.

Salazar himself was a man of the olden days, with a certain understanding of the economy, and served as Minister of Finance during the Great Depression, where he strengthened the state’s guiding intervention in the economy, reinforced the state’s control and management of key industries, banks, and railroads, and protected national industries and agriculture by raising tariffs, strengthening the regulation of agricultural product prices, and safeguarding the food supply.

Foreign relations strengthened relations with Germany and Italy. However, Allen Wilson does not think that Salazar is not a person like Mussolini, this kind of ruler of the old times, conservative is the label on the body, similar to those monarchs of the Qing Dynasty.

In fact, similar to the Qing leaders, in Europe, there are many, Eastern Europe has a group of people obsessed with the small peasant economy, the original Croatian pro-German forces, is a representative, not how strange.

Salazar protected the feudal estates of Portugal and emphasized cooperation, and wasn’t that what Gandhi did before the independence of British India? Wanted to make independent India one big rural village.

It’s hard to imagine that Lisbon is the capital of a European country, whether it’s a NATO country in Western Europe or a Warsaw Pact country in Eastern Europe, at this time in 1962, there are very few places that look like the capital of Portugal is in such a state of disrepair, that it’s pulling down Europe’s position in the world by itself.

Seventy percent of the houses in Lisbon had no electric light, 80 percent of the people had no access to running water, and 50 percent of the people met the definition of illiteracy. Portugal’s per capita standard of living is currently on par with that of a major East Asian country.

If Alan Wilson remembers correctly, things are all looking a little better in Goa, or at least Portugal is really throwing money at it, selling a lot of iron ore to Pakistan.

“We are also improving! The oil revenues from the Gulf of Guinea are being put into construction.” Confronted with Alan Wilson’s worries about the revolution, Caetano also explained.

“I hope so, if it’s not Germany, but Portugal that’s confronting the Soviet Union, we’ll be really very worried.” Alan Wilson breathed a long sigh of relief, fortunately Portugal traditionally did not restrict foreign investment.

He was tempted to talk to his wife about making some external reforms to Portugal with the privilege of foreign investment.

Salazar knew the purpose of the British, so he was not going to come personally, let Caetano receive Allen Wilson, to make clear what the British really want to do.

From this point on, it was clear how conservative the old-time ruler was, but fortunately Allen Wilson had already done his homework, was not a stranger to Portugal’s overseas interests, and was able to establish a certain level of trust.

“I believe that Mr. Salazar, should know the British purpose.” Allen Wilson also no nonsense, directly singled out, “avoiding the question is not the best way, we want to know what the Portuguese side of the idea.”

“Goa has been in Portuguese hands for four hundred years, when there was no place called India at all.” Caetano murmured and said frankly, “That’s unacceptable to Salazar.”

“Actually, Portugal still doesn’t trust England very much, does it?” Alan Wilson’s sincere test, just to see Caetano nodded his head, indicating that there was a reason for this, and then continued, “It’s no wonder, Britain’s former off-shore balance would indeed give people this impression.”

“Sir Wilson, we in Portugal have a longstanding alliance with Britain.” Caetano said halfway through his sentence, Alan Wilson reached out to dissuade him, “Britain means only to make a gesture of negotiation, whether it succeeds or not is not important, the reason why we do so is because we know the Indians particularly well, this you should always believe.”

“Well!” Caetano opened his mouth and nodded solemnly, “Did you find out something?”

“The NATO framework does not include colonies. You should have seen that from France’s appeals to the United States in the last two years. The NATO framework is limited to the homelands of European countries. Next we come to the question of Goa, which is isolated overseas, ten thousand miles away from Portugal itself.”

“Also unlike the environments of Africa and the island of Timor, in all the above places, Britain and France can help. The Indian subcontinent, on the other hand, is beyond our ability to react. The initiative is in Nehru’s hands, and our observations over the last two years have shown that extremist sentiments are on the rise in India, and the local garrisons are small compared to the value of Goa.”

“We can reinforce the troops!” Caetano blurted out, expressing confidence to defend Goa.

“It’s useless to reinforce the troops, but we have discovered a very favorable trend, of course, everything can be considered illusory until it happens, and the Portuguese side will have to keep it strictly confidential, no one can predict the future, can they?”

“I’m willing to listen!” Caetano, at last relieved, made a show of sitting upright.

“I hope, then, that the scope of the news can be kept small. From the end of last year until now, the Indian military is pursuing an adventurous policy called the Forward Policy, a wishful thinking to expel the military forces of neighboring countries from the disputed areas by means of a military advance.”

Nehru issued an order to the garrison in Ladakh and the Northeast Frontier Zone that the garrisons do everything possible to move forward and aggressively occupy the entire border. Wherever there were gaps in the borderline, they patrolled or established posts to remove neighboring armies from the border by force.

And at the international level, there is also an unwritten rule: the rule of recognition of physical occupation, whereby any place or territory that has been physically occupied for a certain period of time by another country or ethnic group can be recognized through a referendum.

Then it will succeed in establishing its sovereignty over this particular territory, because actual sovereignty, nine out of ten, will be recognized by international law!

The whole of India was convinced, righteously indignant, chanting and chattering, urging the Nehru Government to adopt a strong policy.

“Does Sir Wilson mean that it may lead to a border war?” Caetano snapped, half skeptically, half expectantly.

“I don’t say it will, but I’ve been assistant commissioner of British India and I ask myself to know the Indians fairly well. I’ve also been High Commissioner for Malaya, and I know the Chinese somewhat. In fact it is not necessary to know them too well; the Korean War was visible to the whole world.”

Alan Wilson’s tone can’t be said to be 100 percent, I guess, but it’s a solid 18 or 19. Through two different stints, it was implied to Caetano that he was absolutely right.

“The bottom line is that the country that Nehru was going to touch, which even dared to confront the United States, had no reason to be afraid of India. Isn’t it?”

This was the first reason that struck Caetano, but now Alan Wilson did not know this. The scholarly type of official could hide a lot of emotions just with those eyeglass lenses.

“I am willing to convey the British view, as it were, to Salazar, if Sir Wilson is not in a hurry. It is possible to stay in Lisbon for two days.” Caetano didn’t say yes or no, but his attitude wasn’t as stiff as it had been at first.

“No problem, I’d be happy to.” Alan Wilson agreed painfully, because Ingrid Bergman of Woodpecker Pictures had already arrived in Portugal to set up a scene here to see the original European feudal lord’s manor scenery, which was not often seen in Europe these days.

To justify his claim, Alan Wilson, through some of the underpinnings left behind by Britain before it left British India, put the blueprint of the order issued by Nehru, into Caetano’s hands.

He then waited for news at the estate arranged for him in Portugal, and the wait was never torturous. He would not necessarily have been able to be so blasé if it had not been for Lady Ingrid Bergman, who offered her companionship during such tormenting times.

“The manor here is very nice, how about I buy one and make a dependency for our daughter to stay?” Ingrid Bergman inquired about the man’s opinion.

“It’s fine if you think it’s okay.” Alan Wilson said in his heart, didn’t you buy a palace in France? But the words came to his mouth, and instinctively became that there is only one sun in my heart, Ingrid Bergman.

Meanwhile, Salazar, who delights in quiet, sat silent in his humble office, holding in his hand the orders issued by Nehru to the army which Caetano had brought with him, and inquired of Caetano, “What do you think of the credibility?”

“British policy is questionable, but for more than ten years, Sir Wilson to Portugal, exemplary.” At the critical moment, Alan Wilson’s reliable history of hanging the seals of the six kingdoms helped him, and was brought up by Caetano.

“Hmm?” A moment of hesitation flashed across Salazar’s face before he finally nodded, “Arrange a time to meet.”

Being able to make the conservative Salazar willing to meet was already a rare occurrence, and Caetano was a bit surprised before replying, “I’ll arrange it right away.”

The office once again fell into silence, but Caetano didn’t make a fuss, Salazar was this character.