DIT OBI
Our struggle is facing some difficulties, difficulties
which drive not from -any. deficiency in our organisation, but the
appearence of a new element in the-struggle. The economic depression which should logically result from Portugal because of our
actions and the struggle that we and. our brothers from Angola
and Guinea he.ve launched against her.does not manifest to tho ,
extent -that we expected. A new element, which might heve been '
anticipated, appeared, acting to alter the balance of forces in
a way more favourable to Portugal. The new element -is the intensification of imperialist aid to Portuguese colonialism,
• The imperialist countries hurried to help Portugal when
they saw that she would not be able to face the liberation mbv-
•xri-riit-of the colonies alone. The reason for this help is simples •
rtugal, although she id a member of the family of the imperialists , is her self a colony of other imperialist countries, a
colony which in turn possess colonies, and which the imperialist
do not want to lose.
In fact,in Portugal the British imperialists own richest
mines of wolfram in Europe (Beralt Tin and Aolfram Co.), the
uranium of Urgeirica, the pyrites of 3. Domingos, the gold of
JalGSi The Germans have the iron of Moncotfvb* The Belgians Control the pyrites of aljusterel and "the coal of Pegao. The Ameri—.
cans own the manganese and tin, the French the "wolfram from Bor-
ralha. ■,•"'."'
' The- telephone (Anglo-Portuguese Telephone), the telegraph,
international communications- (Marconi),, the public transportation
of Lisbon (Oarris) , part of the railway and airtransport (TAP)
tho petrol transport fleet (Sbnotapa), all of this belong to non-
-Portuguese imperialists. They control a considerable part of the
production and distribution of electrical energy (ORGS, Electrica
Del Lima, UEP) and of practically all. electrical supplies (General Electric, Standard, Siemens, Philips, AEG, BIGO, Ataliers de
Charleroi). They control an important part of the iron industry .
and two of the biggest cement factories (oEOIL, CIBRA)-. They own
the petrol refinery (SACOR), a series of industries concerned
with products derived from petroleum and all the internal and
external commerce in mineral oils (Shell, BP, Mobiloil, Standard
oil.) They have a monopoly on the construction of railway carriages and locomotives (SOREPAIvlE) in the assembling of automobiles
and lorries and one half of the existing shipyards. They control
the soda factory and a great part of the production of chemical
fertilisers (SAPEG, Petroquimica, Nitratos).. They make the tyres
(MA.BOS-, Pirestone), the aluminium and steel cables. They own seven of the nine most important enterprises producing and exporting cork (MU2TDET, Armstrong and others).
iO