This authoritative work examines the experiences of the Latin American countries during the Second World War, their reactions to its outbreak and the extent of their involvement. Although the war was fought far from Latin America, the area had immense economic and strategic significance for the great powers and witnessed a fierce struggle between them for influence and advantage.In this volume, R.A. Humphreys covers the period from the eve of war to the end of the Rio de Janeiro Conference of American Foreign Ministers in 1942, when all Latin American states, with the exception of Argentina and Chile, had either declared war on the Axis Powers or severed relations with them. This account is based on a wide variety of sources, including the author's own war-time study of the Latin American press and the records of the British Foreign Office.