Copenhagen Airport is occupied by German troops
Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-399-0005-13, photographer: Pilz [Piltz]
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2 February 1940
Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels declares film to be a significant means of boosting morale with no room for intellectualism.Beginning of 1940
Breckinridge Long, an avowed opponent of immigration, is appointed assistant secretary of state, a post which covers the distribution of visas.Long manages to prevent the refugees from entering the country or render it impossible. As such, of 1,200 visa applications submitted in summer, only 238 have been decided on by the end of the year.2 April 1940
The exhibition Landmarks in Modern German Art in the Buchholz Gallery in New York shows works by "degenerate" artists such as Max Beckmann and Oskar Kokoschka.9 April 1940
The German Wehrmacht marches into Denmark and Norway without declaring war. With no capacity for serious resistance, Denmark capitulates after just one day.20 April 1940
Opening of the Freie Deutsche Bühne (Free German Stage) in Buenos Aires led by exiled German actor and director P. Walter Jacob.10 May 1940
Surprising France by invading the neutral Netherlands, Germany begins its western offensive.12 May 1940
Emigrants are interned in France following the German Wehrmacht's entry into the Netherlands and Belgium.May 1940
An internment camp for "enemy aliens" is set up on England's Isle of Man.June 1940
The Emergency Visitor's Visa Program begins in the USA.The programme, which is established under pressure from American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, aims to grant 3,000 celebrities entry into the United States.10 June 1940
With Italy's entry into the war comes the internment of Jewish immigrants and refugees, who are categorised alongside "citizens of enemy states". Almost 40 "concentration camps" for foreigners are established, predominantly in the central and southern regions of the country.