War Plan Gray

While motions were made to prepare for this invasion, a shifting of focus halted War Plan Gray and the Azores were never invaded.

This was mainly credited to intelligence sources producing evidence that it was highly unlikely Nazi Germany would invade pro-fascist Francoist Spain and the scrupulously neutral Portuguese Estado Novo.

With Germany invading the Soviet Union in Operation Barbarossa, this eased American fears concerning the Azores, resulting in the suspension of War Plan Gray and letting the US focus their time and forces elsewhere.

[3] Six days before the Azores directive, US attention was turned towards Brazil, for fears of the Axis powers stepping into South America and the Western Hemisphere.

In June, intelligence sources produced credible evidence that Germany planned not to invade Spain and Portugal but the Soviet Union.