The Time A NATO Country Was Invaded and NATO Did Nothing
The invasion of Goa
On December 17th, 1961, after weeks of military build-up, a column of Indian tanks and motorized infantry rolled across the border of Goa. Goa was a Portuguese territory that was administered directly as a part of Portugal itself. Talks broke down after Portugal refused to cede control of their ancient possessions to India. Instead, fanatical generals issued orders to the Portuguese garrison to try and hold out to the last man.
India outgunned the small Portuguese garrison over 10:1. Portugal had just 3,500 defending troops standing in the path of 45,000 Indian soldiers. But Portugal had a secret weapon. They are a part of NATO. Goa was a territory that Portugal had held for almost 500 years, and it was considered a part of Portugal proper, not a colony or territorial possession. If the Indian tanks crossed into Goa, NATO was obligated to respond.
Unfortunately for Portugal, NATO did nothing. The communists in the USSR backed India’s bid to retake Goa and applauded their actions to “reunify” India and accelerate decolonization in the world. With Russia’s boisterous backing, India proceeded confidently, and NATO sheepishly backed down.
So much for Article 5.
