Emeritus Professor of International Relations at the Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), he was called "a great American and a great friend of Brazil".[6]
Military Brazilianist
A famous Brazilianist, he wrote the book Soldiers of the Pátria,[7][8] about the mentality and internal politics of the
Brazilian Army during the formative period after the
Paraguayan War and the proclamation of the dictatorship of the
Estado Novo by
Getúlio Vargas in 1937.
Frank also wrote another great work, the book Aliança Brasil-Estados Unidos 1937-1945,[9] studying the relations between
Brazil and the United States;[1] first published in 1974, it ran for an honorable mention for the Bolton Prize and winner of the 1975 Bernath Prize.[8] It was edited in Brazil by the Army Library (Bibliex).[9] One of the comments made by McCann was the invitation to Brazil to participate in the
administration of occupied Austria at the end of
World War II.[10][11]
In addition to a reference bibliography, Frank McCann has also published several periodicals and was invited to write chapters in books, generally aimed at the
Brazilian Expeditionary Force.[12] Among these various contributions is the last chapter in the 3rd edition (revised and enlarged) of the book A Luta dos Pracinhas: A FEB 50 anos depois - uma visão crítica (The Fight of the Pracinhas: FEB 50 years later - a critical view), by
Joel Silveira and Tassilo Mitke. In his journal Brazil and World War II: The Forgotten Ally. What did you do in the war, Zé Carioca?,[3] McCann brings a global view of Brazil's participation in World War II, analyzing the strategic thinking of Brazilian leaders, such as
Góes Monteiro and
Getúlio Vargas, acting in the
South Atlantic and in
Italy. The text briefly analyzes
Brazilian aviation, but its main focus is on the land component. About the
expeditionary division, McCann concluded:
"The FEB completed all the missions confided to it and compared favorably with the American divisions of the
Fourth Corps. Unfortunately, the heavy symbolism of
Monte Castello has obscured the FEB's victory at
Montese on April 16, in which it took the town after a four-day gruelling battle, suffering 426 casualties. In the next days, it fought to a standstill the German
148th Division and Fascist Italian
Monte Rosa,
San Marco, and
Italia Divisions, which surrendered to General
Mascarenhas on April 29–30. In a matter of days, the Brazilians trapped and took the surrender of 2 generals, 800 officers, and 14,700 troops. The 148th was the only intact German division to surrender on that front. Although they had little preparation and served under foreign command, against a combat-experienced enemy, the "Smoking Cobras," as the FEB was nicknamed, had shown, as one of their songs put it, the "fiber of the Brazilian army" and the "grandeza de nossa gente" [greatness of our people]." (McCann, 1995, pg.15)[11]
The song mentioned by McCann is Fibra de Herói (Hero Fiber).[13][14] Other lesser-known books include Modern Brazil: Elites and Masses in Historical Perspective, co-authored with Michael L. Conniff, and A Nação Armada: Ensaios sobre a História do Exército Brasileiro.[4] His latest book was Brazil and the United States During World War II and Its Aftermath: Negotiating Alliance and Balancing Giants, published on 6 October 2018 by publisher Palgrave MacMillan.[4]
The Brazilian government recognized his commitment to the study of the country, conferring him the title of
Commander of the Order of Rio Branco (1987) and the Medalha do Pacificador (Peacemaker Medal, 1995).[4] Professor Frank McCann was fluent in
Portuguese.[15]
Bibliography
Soldados da Pátria: História do Exército brasileiro de 1889 a 1937, Companhia das Letras, 2004 e 2009.[7][16]
Aliança Brasil-Estados Unidos 1937-1945, Biblioteca do Exército (Bibliex), 1995.[3][9][17]
A Nação Armada: Ensaios sobre a História do Exército Brasileira, Editora Guararapes, 1982.[4]
Modern Brazil: Elites and Masses in Historical Perspective, University of Nebraska Press, 1989.[4][5]
Brazil and the United States During World War II and Its Aftermath: Negotiating Alliance and Balancing Giants, Palgrave MacMillan, 2018.[4][18]
Periodics
Brazil and World War II: The Forgotten Ally. What did you do in the war, Zé Carioca?, University of New Hampshire, 1995.[3]
Airlines and Bases: Aviation Diplomacy; The United States and Brazil, 1939-1941, Inter-American Economic Affairs, 1968.[3]
The Rise and Fall of the Brazilian-American Military Alliance, 1942-1977, University of New Hampshire, 2015.[19]
^Gallo, Rodrigo (16 July 2014).
"A formação do Exército Nacional". Revista Leituras da História (in Portuguese).
Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 28 September 2021.