The Myth of a German Invasion

What’s the truth behind a common misconception about Puerto Rico’s role in WWII?

Walking through Viejo San Juan, I’ve come across some tourism guides who recount incorrect stories to their customers, such as the claim that Germany invaded Puerto Rico during World War II. This is completely false.

What is true, however, is that Puerto Rico was involved in the war because it is a United States territory. It also served as the base of the Tenth Naval District of the U.S. Navy and was an important logistics hub for maritime supply routes to Great Britain and the United States. These countries sourced refractory chromium, nickel, tungsten, bauxite, long-strand cotton, and copper from the Caribbean. They also received sugar, coffee, fruits, leather, meat, and, most important, Venezuelan oil refined in Aruba and Curaçao.

Front page of the newspaper, El Mundo titled: “El espionaje alemán en E.E.U.U. ocupa de Pto. Rico” (German espionage in the U.S. occupies Puerto Rico), El Mundo, Puerto Rico, No. 9212, February 10, 1942.