Os EUA e os Açores

Note-se que a conversa tem lugar em Janeiro de 1975. Kissinger era o Secretário de Estado, e Schlesinger o Secretário da Defesa.

• «Tacitly acknowledging the need for initiatives to protect U.S. interests in Portugal –especially air field in the Azores, the archipelago of islands 900 miles off the country’s coast– Kissinger commented, “We should have a program.”   He then pessimistically declared that “There is a 50 percent change of losing it.”  To that Schlesinger responded, “We have a contingency plan to take over the Azores.”  He parenthetically noted, “That would be stimulating Azores independence.”»
• «The details of the contingency plan are unavailable, but are presumably in files held by the Pentagon.» (National Security Archive, via Público)

Não sei se o plano consideraria a hipótese de Portugal invocar o artigo 5 do Tratado para nos defendermos dos EUA? (A pergunta é para o Ludwig.)

• «The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognised by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.» (NATO Treaty)