Gaining access to the Portuguese archives in Goa, now part of the Indian state of Goa, is (or, at least, was in my case) relatively easy. About two months in advance I wrote to Dr. V.T. Gune, the Director, asking permission to carry out research. After clearance had been obtained from New Delhi—I had the impression that no research on Africa would be regarded as “sensitive” by the Indian government—Dr. Gune very quickly granted me access.

The archives are located in the town of Panjim in Goa, which can be reached by bus from neighboring Maharashtra or by the daily plane from Bombay and Trivandrum. Intending visitors should bear in mind that the monsoon can (and often does) sever all of these routes at various times. Panjim supplies most human needs, but microfilm has rarely been seen there since the Indian occupation of Goa in 1961, and researchers are warned to bring their own, although the actual work will be done by the photographic section. The section prefers extra fine grain Recordak Microfile Pancromatic 35mm double-perforated film, although similar films are acceptable. The main archives building houses most of the files, and researchers are provided space in the Archivist's office. Photography, however, is carried out at a separate depot in town. Unless they are unusually busy, the photographic staff can process material very quickly; in my case, they were able to film 863 exposures in little more than a week.