António de Oliveira Salazar
Despite the authoritarian character of the regime, Portugal did not experience the same levels of international isolation as Spain did following World War II. Unlike Spain, Portugal under Salazar was accepted into the Marshall Plan (1947–1948) in return for the aid it gave to the Allies during the final stages of the war. Furthermore, also unlike Spain, it was one of the 12 founding members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in 1949, a reflection of Portugal's role as an ally against communism during the Cold War in spite of its status as the only non-democratic founder. In 1950, Portugal joined the European Payments Union and participated in the founding of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in 1960 and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in 1961. It joined the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade in 1962, and finally, Portugal signed a free trade agreement with the European Economic Community in 1972, still under the auspices of the "Estado Novo".
Brazil–Italy relations
At the start of World War II in September 1939; Brazil remained neutral, however, German submarines (U-Boats) sank six Brazilian ships in the Atlantic and Brazil declared war on Germany and Italy on 22 August 1942. During the war, Brazil sent an Expeditionary Force consisting of 23,000 soldiers which partook in the Italian Campaign. The Brazilian forces mainly fought within Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna regions. In 1944, Brazil restored full diplomatic relations with Italy.