“Par detrás das nuvens de fuma das charntos…” – “Behind the Smoke Clouds of the Cigars…” – an extremely rare anti-British publication in Portuguese from the outbreak of World War II. Contains folding illustrated plates that expose “the lies of the British” regarding both their foreign policy towards Nazi Germany and their domestic policy. [Portugal], early 1940s. No publisher or printer mentioned. Extremely rare.
The cover of the booklet presents a satirical image of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill smoking a cigar. Each pair of pages in the booklet reveals the alleged British duplicity. On the right, an illustration divided into two: when “closed, ” it presents the British claim, and when opened by lifting the folded page, “the truth” is revealed.
For instance, the first page shows Churchill speaking behind a podium draped in the British flag, and opposite, “the truth”: “The British say that this war against Germany is a fight for democratic freedom, but woe to the Englishman who takes the liberty to express an opinion different from Churchill and his government.” When the page is lifted, it reveals an illustration of an English judge pointing an accusing finger at an innocent citizen.
Another page claims: “England talks about its navy controlling the seas and its secure sea routes. In reality, German forces have already destroyed the British navy so much that the British government was forced to give up the British Isles.” Here too, a “closed” illustration shows British ships heading to war, and when opened, they are depicted sinking after a German attack. In another instance: “England tells us that the Royal Air Force bombed important military and production centers in Germany. But the true results of these barbaric raids, conducted under the cover of night and from high altitude, are quite different from what was stated” – an illustration shows a plane bombing German buildings, and when lifted, a Red Cross building is revealed.
Another illustration shows two Englishmen tying up a strong German man with rope, with the text: “England declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939, hoping to win by causing famine against women, children, and the elderly. Germany broke this blockade, thanks to its great military successes, and now it is blocking England.” In the illustration, when opened, the German man breaks free from the ropes, much to the dismay of the defeated Englishmen.
One page presents a rebuttal to British propaganda against Hitler and Nazi Germany: “English propaganda shouted across the world that the German people are just waiting for a push to break the ‘chains of the National Socialist dictatorship.’ – In reality, the German people respect Adolf Hitler as the man who freed them from the humiliating and oppressive conditions imposed by the ‘Treaty’ of Versailles.” In this illustration, German citizens are depicted protesting against the Nazi regime as the false image, and when opened, the “truth” reveals German citizens cheering under the swastika flags.
For most of the war, Portugal maintained neutrality and did not explicitly join the Allies or the Axis powers. It is extremely rare to find anti-British material in Portuguese from this period.
Extremely rare: The booklet is not listed in the global library catalog WorldCat.
Details: 18 pages. 18×10.5 cm. Light stains on the cover. Good condition.
