Upon the start of World War II in 1939, the Portuguese Government announced, on 1 September, that the 600-year-old Anglo-Portuguese Alliance remained intact, but that since the British did not seek Portuguese assistance, Portugal was free to remain neutral in the war and would do so. In an aide-mémoire of 5 September 1939, the British Government confirmed the understanding. As Hitler’s occupation swept across Europe, neutral Portugal became one of the Continent’s last escape routes. The Portuguese capital became a symbol of hope for many refugees. Even Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) and Rick (Humphrey Bogart), the star-crossed lovers in the film Casablanca, sought a ticket to that "great embarkation point". Portugal managed to remain neutral throughout the war despite extraordinary pressures from b