The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-03-18


 British picture agency, Planet
 News, and has been in Portugal
 on special assignment from NEA Service.
 By MARCEL WALLENSTEIN
 Special to NEA ServiCe)
 Lisbon, March 18-In the busi- ness of propaganda, the American, government offices here were at a loss. They were not doing much to show Portugal that they represented 8 powerful country at war. In Portugal, ahStemiousness in such matters is considered the worst taste, for the Portuguese are con- Sidered Gods free present to any belligerentS who have a little extra propaganda to toss around.
 The Germans were distributing brightly colored copies of a mag azine called Signal (eigal in Portu- guese), in addition to all the other Illustrated Germ an propaganda publications. Many show windows were filled with pictures and swas- tikas. There likewise was German commercial propaganda = gadgets sold at cut-ttroat prices in all Por- tuguese shops.
 The English had the Mundc Graflca magazine, printed in Portu- glleSe and showing British effort Also displays of British tweeds, pull overs and Scotch whiskey in the best shops.
 American propaganda of that period soon after the United States movies, most of which are American entered the war-was confined to here, and Go commercial propa- ganda. American cars, ra2ors, silk stockings, canned beer. are much admired in Lisbon, but cost too much. They are available princi- pally to the small percentage of the population with money.
 FOR SPEECH AND FIRE
 There was nothing like Signal or Mundo Graflca to reach those with only few stray escudos to spend for non-essentials. Some body in Washington began to think. Finally something emerged. One day a large consignment of @ ton or more arrived at the >Ameri- can office in Lisbon. It was opened and out spilled thousands of books or paper matches each bearing a thrilling design.
 The front cover was red and white and showed a U. s. Army Air Force star with a bomber in the center. Inside the flap was printed in Portuguese an extract from Presi- dent Roosevelt's speech about the Freedoms, with his signature. And then there were the matches--a free gift.
 Matches are a great boon in Portugal, especially good American matches that light at the first scratch. Here was something that would be enjoyed by any Portuguese fortunate enough to be present when they were given away. APPEAL TO SWEET TOOTH
 The day came for distribution and then trouble followed fast. Just be- fore the boys vent out with the presents 1t occurde to somebody that matches were state monopoly here. There's a tax on them-an import ant source of state revenue. And here was the Government of the United United States trying to make friends and influence people by breaking Portugese law! Anyone caught with 0 book of free matches is fineable to & maximum of 400 eScudos, or nearly $20.
 With much regret, the free dis tribution of matches bearing the picture of the bomber and the F. D. R. speech was abandoned. Somebody in Washington stopped whatever he was doing and began to think again. This time he was luckier.
 Presently there arrived in Lisbon another consignment - larger one, weighing nearly thirteen tons. It revealed no headaches or other elil- barrassment for the harasSed gov ernment officials. The consignment contained sticks of hard candy, each wrapped in waxed paper and print ed with an American design and the same portion of the Presidents speech.
 Everyone was happy. There was no Portugueese law against being caught with free stick candy. The sticks of pure American candy wrapped in United States colors and with the speech found their way to thousands of poor people. RESPECT ARMED MIGHT
 There was one drawback which had not occurred to anyone concer- ned. Most of the people into whose hands and mouths the candy fell were illiterate. The printed words might as well have been in Chinese as Portuguese. But they liked the candy very much indeed This and other attempts for prop aganda in FoKtileal hy whatever