 Rhodesia 's Lisbon mission remained open throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s , providing a key link between the Rhodesian and Portuguese governments , which remained close . When Rhodesia adopted a republican constitution in 1970 , Portugal bowed to British diplomatic pressure and withdrew its consul @-@ general , João de Freitas Cruz , from Salisbury , but the Rhodesian office in Lisbon remained open . With the Carnation Revolution of 1974 , Portugal 's African policy was suddenly reversed . By contrast to the former authoritarian government , which had been committed to a pluricontinental Portugal , fighting costly wars against independence movements in its African territories to maintain it , the new leftist administration rapidly initiated moves to withdraw from Africa as quickly as possible . Following hurried negotiations between Portugal and the nationalist guerrillas in each territory , both Mozambique and Angola became independent under communist governments in 1975 . Lisbon 's stance on Rhodesia altered accordingly . The Portuguese government ordered the closure of the Rhodesian mission in April 1975 , and simultaneously withdrew its own remaining officials from Rhodesia . The Rhodesian mission in Lisbon formally closed on 1 May 1975 . 
