 To Britain 's alarm and indignation , the Portuguese government announced on 21 September that Nogueira had accepted " a letter of introduction " from Reedman , conferring upon him the title " Chief of the Rhodesian Mission " , with powers to deal with the Portuguese Foreign Ministry in Luso @-@ Rhodesian matters without British interference . This followed the precedent set by Reedman 's counterpart in South Africa , the statement said . Speaking publicly in Salisbury the same evening , Dupont told reporters that there had never been any intention to claim ambassadorial status for Reedman , and that Rhodesia had constantly kept Britain informed of what was happening regarding the appointment . So far as he was concerned , he said , the Rhodesian government had achieved its objective of attaining an independent diplomatic representative in Portugal , and had not exceeded its mandate in any way while doing so . Britain protested strenuously , saying Portugal was going back on its word . Portugal insisted that its reception of Reedman and his Lisbon mission did not prejudice Britain 's responsibility over Rhodesia , and was justified because of the long @-@ standing ties between Portugal and Rhodesia , as well as their common involvement in many southern African issues . 
