In addition to expressing anti-communist sentiments, American journalists predicted the 123 Incident to be the beginning of Portugal’s withdrawal from Macau, pointing to a declining empire. Several Articles reveal this…
The New York Times: The world did not know the gravity of the situation until China had publicly condemned the actions of the Portuguese. Before then, Macau was not on Americans’ radar. The author understood the Incident as anti-colonial rather than just pro-communist by making note of crowds’ chant “Kill the foreign devils!” More apparent is the understanding that by this time, Portugal has lost control of its colony, making Macau “essentially a Chinese City.”
The Baltimore Sun: Though recognizant of Portugal’s weakening empire by suggesting Macau be another Goa, the United States appears more sympathetic to their Western counterpart, describing the violence as “Anti-Portuguese” and the persecution of the Chinese by Portuguese authorities as “far-fetched.” The author attributed the conflict to the conspiring of leftist leaders, either local to the area or from communist China. Although he criticizes Portugal more subtly, the author simply pointed to Portugal’s incompetence and sluggish response rather than their decision to inflict violence on civilians.
