Oswaldo Aranha
Oswaldo Aranha | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() Aranha in 1940 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
President of the United Nations General Assembly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 5 May 1947 – 20 September 1948 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Secretary-General | Trygve Lie | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Paul-Henri Spaak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | José Arce | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Minister of Foreign Affairs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 15 March 1938 – 23 August 1944 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
President | Getúlio Vargas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Pimentel Brandão | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Pedro Leão Veloso | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Alegrete,Rio Grande do Sul,Brazil | 15 February 1894||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 27 January 1960 Rio de Janeiro,Rio de Janeiro,Brazil | (aged 65)||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Political party | PRR | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse |
Delminda Gudolle
(m.1917) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Children | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alma mater | Free Faculty of Law of Rio de Janeiro | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Signature | ![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Oswaldo Euclides de Souza Aranha[1](Portuguese pronunciation:[ozˈvawduaˈɾɐ̃ɲɐ],15 February 1894 – 27 January 1960) was a Brazilian politician, diplomat and statesman, who came to national prominence in 1930 underGetúlio Vargas.[2]
He is known in international politics for lobbying for the creation of theState of Israelas head of the Brazilian delegation to the UN and President of the UN General Assembly in 1947.[3]As head of the Brazilian delegation, he wasPresident of the United Nations General Assemblyin 1947 during the UNGA 181 vote on theUnited Nations Partition Plan for Palestine,in which he postponed the vote for three days to ensure its passage.[4][5]For his efforts on Palestine, he was nominated for theNobel Peace Prizein 1948.[6]
Early life and career
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/30/Osvaldo_Aranha_chega_dos_Estados_Unidos%2C_Rio_de_Janeiro%2C_1947.tif/lossy-page1-220px-Osvaldo_Aranha_chega_dos_Estados_Unidos%2C_Rio_de_Janeiro%2C_1947.tif.jpg)
Oswaldo Aranha was born in the city ofAlegretein the state ofRio Grande do Sul.Aranha obtained his bachelor's degree in Law and Social Sciences at theLaw Schoolof the now-calledFederal University of Rio de Janeiroin 1916. After his graduation, he returned to Rio Grande do Sul and practiced as a lawyer for eight years, establishing a personal and professional contact with Getúlio Vargas, who also was a lawyer. His first public office was that of Assistant Police Commissioner in his native state.
Aranha fought the insurrection of 1923, deflagrated by sectors that opposed the fifth consecutive re-election ofBorges de Medeirosasgovernor of Rio Grande do Sul.By personally commanding an irregular armed force consisting of civilians, Aranha fought new uprisings promoted by the opposition in the years that led to theRevolution of 1930.
In a speedy political career, Oswaldo Aranha ran for his first elective office in 1926 and was elected Mayor of Alegrete, but soon became a member of thestate legislatureand later elected to theNational Congressin 1928.
When Vargas ran as opposition candidate forpresident of Brazilin1930and lost, Aranha joined thetenentesto convince Vargas to organize a revolt.[2]When the revolt succeeded, Aranha took the first of several positions in theCabinet of Brazilunder now-President Vargas, heading theMinistry of Finance,theMinistry of Justice,and theMinistry of Foreign Affairs,among other positions.[7]
Aranha also served as ambassador to the United States in 1934 where he gained recognition as a strong supporter ofPan-Americanism.In 1937 he returned to Brazil to head the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Aranha played a large role in theRio de Janeiro Conference of 1942.
Support for the Allies in World War II
[edit]While serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Brazil took part in the first three consultative meetings of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the American Republics which defined Pan-American policy during the early stages ofWorld War IIand worked out the recommendation for the collective severance of diplomatic relations with theAxis Powers.[8]During the 1942 Rio conference, he announced that Brazil had cut all diplomatic ties withNazi Germany,thereby siding with the United States and the Allies. Eventually, most Central and South American states did the same with the exception ofArgentinaandChile.
At the first Special Session of theUN General Assemblyheld in 1947, Oswaldo Aranha, the head of the Brazilian delegation, began a tradition that has remained in which the first speaker at the major international forum is always a Brazilian.[9]
Honour in Israel
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Aranyajerusalem.jpg/250px-Aranyajerusalem.jpg)
Aranha supported and heavily lobbied for the partition ofPalestinetoward the creation of the State ofIsrael.Streets in Israeli cities such asBeer-ShevaandRamat Gan,and a square inJerusalemare named after Aranha. In 2007, a street inTel Avivwas named in his honor at a ceremony attended by his relatives and Brazil's ambassador to Israel.[10]
Thephotobiography of Oswaldo Aranhapublished byPedro Corrêa do Lagoin 2017 shows how Oswaldo Aranha, in his position as president of theUnited Nations General Assemblyin 1947, was highly instrumental[11][12]for the assembly's approval of the partition of Palestine insofar as he was able to postpone the voting by two days, as Corrêa do Lago explains: "[Aranha] was skillful and when he saw that the partition would not obtain 2/3 of the votes on time he got its allies to stretch their speeches to the max to prevent the vote from being taken that day. The decision was postponed [by Aranha] and as the next day was a holiday in the United States this move bought the time needed to get the [additional] votes".[13]
Controversy
[edit]A book by the historian Maria Luiza Tucci Carneiro argues that Aranha was aware of secret circulars asking that Jews be denied entry visas to Brazil and did little to change that.[14][page needed]Jeffrey Lesser'sWelcoming the Undesirables: Brazil and the Jewish Questionquestions that conclusion by showing that Jewish entry rose notably after the secret circulars were emitted, with the active collaboration of many Brazilian diplomats and businesspeople.[15][page needed]
The circular asking for the denial of visas to Jews, however, was not written by Oswaldo Aranha, and it was not made during his term as Minister of Foreign Affairs for Brazil. Mário de Pimentel Brandão was responsible for signing the secret circular in 1937 during his term as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil.[16]
During Oswaldo Aranha's term as Minister of Foreign Affairs, from 1938 to 1944, many Jews were granted visas to Brazil despite the circulars. In 1939, Jews were granted 4,601 permanent and temporary resident visas to Brazil. That year, 9% of all permanent residency visas and 14% of temporary Brazilian visas were emitted to people of Jewish origin. In 1940, 2,500 Jewish immigrants were given visas to Brazil.[17]
Considered a moderate by many in and outside of Brazil, he argued that communism was the result of "the Judaism which created and maintains this ambience, capable of sending this civilization into an abyss".[18][page needed]
Albert Einsteinasked Oswaldo Aranha for help in obtaining a visa for his friend who was a German Jew, Helene Fabian-Katz. Einstein had previously appealed to the U.S. government for help, but it denied Fabian-Katz a visa. Fabian-Katz was granted a visa to Brazil and joined her brother, who already lived inSão Paulo.[17]
Footnotes and references
[edit]- ^In modern spelling "Osvaldo Euclides de Sousa Aranha".
- ^aboswaldo Aranha,U·X·L Newsmakers,via Find articles.
- ^"Ministério das Relações Exteriores"[permanent dead link]
- ^United Nations list of GA Presidents
- ^Muhammad Zafrulla Khan,1983Servant of God: a personal narrative,Pakistan's representative: "At about lunch time [on 26 November] a rumour was heard that the president [of the Assembly] did not intend to proceed to the vote that day… His excuses were flimsy, but he was adamant. At the end of the afternoon sitting he adjourned the session to Friday morning. On Thursday President Truman put through personal telephone calls to certain heads of state and persuaded them to shift their position on the question of the partition of Palestine from opposition to support."
- ^"Oswaldo Euclides de Sousa Aranha".Nobel Nomination Database.Retrieved5 November2016.
- ^Strong Arm's Strong Arm,a June 1954 article fromTimemagazine
- ^Oswaldo Aranhafrom theUnited Nationswebsite
- ^Oswaldo Aranhafrom Brazil'sMinistry of External Relationswebsite
- ^"Tel Aviv Street Named for Brazilian",Dateline World Jewry,World Jewish Congress,September, 2007
- ^“Pedro Corrêa do Lago lança a fotobiografia do avô, Oswaldo Aranha”UAI7/11/2017. Retrieved Jan. 17, 2018.(in Portuguese)
- ^“Fotobiografia revela aspectos inusitados de Oswaldo Aranha”Correio Baziliense7/15/2017. Retrieved Jan. 17, 2018.(in Portuguese)
- ^“Um filé chamado Oswaldo AranhaArchived2018-01-17 at theWayback Machine”Carta Capital6/30/2017. Retrieved Jan. 17, 2018.(in Portuguese)
- ^Carneiro, Maria Luísa Tucci,O Anti-Semitismo nas Américas: Memória e História,ISBN978-85-314-1050-5
- ^Lesser, Jeffrey (1995).Welcoming the Undesirables.UC press.ISBN978-0-52008413-1.
- ^"Estado Novo (1937–45)",Educação: História do Brasil, UOL.
- ^abCarneiro,p.285.
- ^Lesser, Jeffrey, 1995.Welcoming the indesirables: antissemitism in BrazilBerkeley: University of California Press, via CD lib.
External links
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Aranhaon the cover of the January 19, 1942 issue ofTime
- Newspaper clippings about Oswaldo Aranhain the20th Century Press Archivesof theZBW
- 1894 births
- 1960 deaths
- 20th-century Brazilian lawyers
- Brazilian diplomats
- People from Alegrete
- World War II political leaders
- Presidents of the United Nations General Assembly
- Governors of Rio Grande do Sul
- Permanent Representatives of Brazil to the United Nations
- Ambassadors of Brazil to the United States
- Finance ministers of Brazil
- Ministers of justice of Brazil
- Members of the Legislative Assembly of Rio Grande do Sul
- Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Vargas Era
- Republican Party of Rio Grande do Sul politicians
- Agriculture ministers of Brazil
- Foreign ministers of Brazil