Amaro Soares Bittencourt (1885–1963) was a

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or interna ...

, a military and

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...

and a

general officer A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

of the Brazilian Army, who attained the Brazilian Army rank of General of Division or in its original Portuguese "General de Divisão" (the equivalent U.S. Army rank is

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

). During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, then Brazilian “General de Brigada” ( Brigadier General) Bittencourt was the chief of the Brazilian military mission to the United States, that is the military attaché at the Brazilian Embassy in Washington, D.C. Bittencourt was also a member of the Brazilian delegation to the Inter-American Defense Board. In October 1942, he became the first recipient of the United States

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

(Commander). France awarded Bittencourt the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

(Officer) for his wartime service, and Brazil awarded him the

Order of Military Merit (Brazil) The Order of Military Merit ( pt, Ordem do Mérito Militar) is an award of the Brazilian Army, established on 11 July 1934 by President Getúlio Vargas. The order is presented in five grades and recognizes distinguished service and exceptional co ...

or in its original Portuguese the “Ordem do Mérito Militar”. The Major General was a graduate of Brazil’s Escola Militar and its Escola de Estado-Maior. In Brazil itself, where the military played a significant role in civilian infrastructure development and administration, the Lieutenant General with Brazilian

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

Ary Parreiras led in a civilian capacity the Special Commission on Steel of Brazil’s Federal Technical and Financial Council. Most significantly, in 1939 this commission created a controversy when it voted to make Brazil’s ore exports a state monopoly as a precondition to the nation’s founding of a state steelworks. The government of

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

did not ultimately follow the commission's recommendation.John D. Wirth, ''The Politics of Brazilian Development (1930–1954)'', 1970, Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, pp. 103–106

References

External links

Generals.dk {{DEFAULTSORT:Bittencourt, Amaro Soares 1885 births 1963 deaths Brazilian generals Brazilian military personnel of World War II Recipients of the Order of Military Merit (Brazil) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Military engineers Brazilian civil engineers

See also

References

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