during the war, there were nearly 4,000 german immigrants residing in venezuela. as result of which, there was fear among certain allied leaders of a "fifth column" forming to commit sabotage and other acts against the venezuelan government or oil-related infrastructure. the nearby british, french, and dutch colonies also presented security concerns: if any were to fall under axis control, they would certainly become bases for the interdiction of the caribbean sea lanes, which carried venezuela's crude oil to be refined in aruba, and thence to market. they could also be used as staging areas for the invasion of neighboring countries, or for commando operations to interrupt oil production.