INCOMING TELEGRAM Department of State If

INCOMING TELEGRAM Department of State If

INCOMING TELEGRAM
Department of State
44 40
CONFIDENTIAL
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FROM:
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ACTION:
Secstate
INFO:
R i o de J a n e i r o 77, PRIORITY
Sao Paulo 9, PRIORITY
DATE:
November 16, 3 p.m.
12983
November 16, 1964
9s43 p.m.
75, PRIORITY
(SECTION I o f I I )
MS A
The c r i s i s i n v o l v i n g Goia's Governor Mauro Borges under m i l i t a r y p o l i c e i n v e s t i g a t i o n f o r " s u b v e r s i o n " i s r a p i d l y coming t o head
w i t h f o l l o w i n g events i n p a s t 48 h o u r s :
PC
1.
T h e f t o f some 64 r i f l e s , 1,200 rounds o f ammunition and
o t h e r equipment f r o m Reserve O f f i c e r T r a i n i n g U n i t i n A n a p o l i s
l o c a t e d 50 k i l o m e t e r s from G o i a n i a .
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2. Movement o f some 250 t r o o p s o v e r l a n d f r o m B r a s i l i a P r e s i d e n t i a l
Guard B a t t a l i o n t o A n a p o l i s t o s u p p o r t i n v e s t i g a t i o n arms t h e f t
under j u r i s d i c t i o n 1 0 t h L i g h t I n f a n t r y B a t t a l i o n s t a t i o n e d i n
Goiania.
3. Movement o f t h r e e t r o o p t r a n s p o r t planes t o A n a p o l i s and
p o s s i b l y t o G o i a n i a where some t e n s i o n r e p o r t e d between S t a t e
m i l i t i a under o r d e r s Governor Borges and F e d e r a l g a r r i s o n .
Latter
u l t i m a t e l y r e s p o n s i b l e t o 11th M i l i t a r y Region Commander General
Nogueira Paes who has a l s o proceeded t o G o i a n i a f r o m B r a s i l i a .
4. A t r e q u e s t Governor Borges l a w y e r s , Supreme Court J u s t i c e
Goncalves de O l i v e i r a has g r a n t e d " p r e v e n t a t i v e " habeas corpus
to a v o i d a t l e a s t t e m p o r a r i l y p o s s i b l e a r r e s t o f Governor Borges
by M i l i t a r y T r i b u n a l . Temporary habeas corpus o r r e s t r a i n t o r d e r
by one J u s t i c e w i l l be s u b m i t t e d t o f u l l Supreme Court r e v i e w
Wednesday, November 18, t h i s week.
5.
F o l l o w i n g meeting on November 14 o f P r e s i d e n t C a s t e l l o Branco
/ w i t h key Cabinet
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-2- 75,November 16, 3' p'.nu- f r o m B r a s i l i a
(Sect-io;
I- of I I )
w i t h key Cabinet members, J u s t i c e M i n i s t e r 'issued o f f i c i a l note
r e f e r r i n g t o t h e f t o f arms i n A n a p o l i s , appearances " p r o v o c a t i v e "
( a n t i - F e d e r a l Government) w a l l s i g n s i n t h a t ' c i t y y and steps
a l l e g e d l y taken by Governor Borges t o c o n c e n t r a t e Sta'te p o l i c e •
and armed c i v i l i a n s i n G o i a n i a . As r e s u l t these e v e n t s , n o t e
c o n t i n u e d , 11th M i l i t a r y Region Commander had s e n t t r o o p s t o
A n a p o l i s , opened M i l i t a r y - P o l i c e * i n v e s t i g a t i o n - , gone t o G o i a n i a
h i m s e l f , p l a c e d 'Federal t r o o p s I n B r a s i l i a and I p a m e r i i n r e a d i ness t o move anywhere i n Goias t e r r i t o r y , and' the 6 t h Air'Zone
Commander had p l a c e d A i r Force equipment -"in r e a d i n e s s t o -support
1 1 t h M i l i t a r y Region movements. Note s t a t e d ' t h a t * these measures,
approved by War and Navy M i n i s t e r s and P r e s i d e n t , designed maint a i n law and o r d e r .
;
6. L a t e evening o f November 14, Governor Borges issued note
s t a t i n g t h a t i n view o f habeas' corpus' i s s u e d by- Supreme Court J u s t i c e p r e v e n t i n g a c t i o n by M i l i t a r y Courts a g a i n s t h i m be
c a l l e d ' on people o f Goias t o r a i n t a i n " p e a c e f u l c i v i l v i g i l "
w i t h c o n f i d e n c e i n "God and J u s t i c e " . He pledged t h e maintenance
of law and order and denied " p l a n t e d rumors" t h a t he was arming
g u e r r i l l a s i n h i s defense.
He s t a t e d h i s c o n f i d e n c e t h a t " l e g a l i s
tic
s p i r i t " o f P r e s i d e n t C a s t e l l o Branco would assure e x e c u t i v e
compliance w i t h d e c i s i o n s o f j u d i c i a r y and pledged h i s s u p p o r t
f o r F e d e r a l Government's o b j e c t i v e t o m a i n t a i n law and o r d e r and
B r a z i l i a n democratic i n s t i t u t i o n s .
7. Comment:
Charges a g a i n s t Governor Borges a r e based l a r g e l y
on e x t e n t o f extreme l e f t i s t and Communist i n f i l t r a t i o n p e r m i t t e d
a t v a r i o u s l e v e l s h i s government. L i s t o f some seventy names
a l l e g e d Communists and pro-Communists f o r m e r l y or now s e r v i n g h i s
government r e l e a s e d t o press i n s u p p o r t F e d e r a l Government's case
Borges' a l s o charged w i t h c l o s e a s s o c i a t i o n I r o n C u r t a i n Embassies
and involvement P o l i s h - r u n espionage a c t i v i t i e s . A l s o w i t h
s u p p o r t f o r ex-Goias peasant l e a d e r Jose P o r f i r i o and l a t t e r s
e f f o r t s form and t r a i n g u e r r i l l a t r o o p s i n Goias. . M i l i t a r y
p a r t i c u l a r l y d i s g r u n t l e d over evidence t h a t s e v e r a l hundred
m i l i t a r y and c i v i l i a n s who were d i s m i s s e d or had p o l i t i c a l r i g h t s
c a n c e l l e d by r e v o l u t i o n have g r a v i t a t e d t o Goias.
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'CONFIDENTIAL '
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INCOMING TELEGRAM
Department of State
44 40
CONFIDENTIAL
Control:
Rec'd:
Action
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USIA
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FROM:
Brasilia
ACTION:
Seestare
INFO:
Rio de J a n e i r o 77, PRIORITY
Sao Paulo 9, PRIORITY
DATE:
November 16, 3 p.m.
12972
November 16, 1964
9:05 p.m.
75, PRIORITY
(SECTION I I o f I I )
8. B r a s i l i a o f f i c e knows Mauro Borges f a i r l y w e l l . W i t h o u t
b e n e f i t evidence g a t h e r e d a g a i n s t h i m we doubt he e i t h e r Communist
or i n v o l v e d espionage. However, i n h i s z e a l t o develop Goias
resources he has been w i l l i n g accept a i d and ideas f r o m a l l
sources. His e x p e r i m e n t a l a g r i c u l t u r a l c o l o n y i n A r r a i a s i s
p a t t e r n e d a f t e r I s r a e l i K i b b u t z . I n h i s development program
he has formed number o f S t a t e e n t e r p r i s e s i n e l e c t r i c power,
m i n e r a l s , and even p h a r m a c e u t i c a l f i e l d s .
I n h i s government
^
he has i n c l u d e d c o n s e r v a t i v e l a n d h o l d i n g elements as w e l l as
l e f t i s t and known Communists.
T h i s has been p a r t l y due t o
o p p o r t u n i s m and c l i m a t e o f " i d e o l o g i c a l t o l e r a n c e " w h i c h r e i g n e d
i n B r a z i l under Quadros and G o u l a r t Government, b u t a l s o the
l e f t i s t s have worked h a r d f o r Governor Borges, f u r t h e r i n g h i s
development program w h i l e a t t e m p t i n g i n f l u e n c e them a l o n g
s oc i a l i s t i c 1 i n e s .
9. Even many Goias c o n s e r v a t i v e businessmen and landowning
opponents o f Governor Borges, a l t h o u g h c r i t i c a l h i s l e f t i s t
a s s o c i a t e s and s t a t i s t approach, admire h i s d r i v e and accomp l i s h m e n t s , and doubt charges o f c o r r u p t i o n o r t h a t he p e r s o n a l l y
Communist o r even pro-Communist, i n o u t l o o k . Main opponent o f
Borges has been u l t r a c o n s e r v a t i v e Caiado de C a s t r o f a m i l y o f
Goias L a t i f u h d i a r i o s who b i d d i n g f o r r e t u r n t o power l o s t s i n c e
1930 when Borges f a t h e r Senator Pedro L u d o c i c o a p p o i n t e d S t a t e
I n t e r v e n t o r by G e t u l i o Vargas. C a s t r o f a m i l y has managed t o
w h i p up h a r d l i n e m i l i t a r y s u p p o r t f o r t h e i r e f f o r t oust g o v e r n merit Borges.
I
LvJ,
Borges s u p p o r t
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-PROHIBITED UNLESS "UNCLASSIFIED"
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-2- 75, November 16, 3 p.m. from B r a s i l i a
(SECTION I I o f I I )
10.
Borges s u p p o r t f o r March R e v o l u t i o n saved h i m from l o s s p f
p o l i t i c a l s i g h t s under A r t i c l e 10 I n s t i t u t i o n a l A c t and i t ; h i s
been our guess t h a t l a c k thus f a r o f r e a l case a g a i n s t Borges
p l u s h i s f i r m s t a n d and s u p p o r t b y n a t i o n a l l e a d e r s h i p o f PSD
p a r t y would c o n t i n u e t o save him. However, A n a p o l i s arms the:'. •
and i n t e m p e r a t e statements b y Borges, ( i n response t o equal!;
i n t e m p e r a t e statements a g a i n s t h i m ) have heated up s i t u a t i o n and
widened m i l i t a r y o p p o s i t i o n t o h i m and d e t e r m i n a t i o n "no get him".
11. L e g a l i s s u e i n v o l v e d i s whether m i l i t a r y fcrura has. r i g h t t r y
Governor Borges on b a s i s n a t i o n a l s e c u r i t y n a t u r e charges a g a i n s t
him w i t h o u t p r i o r pe'rmis'sIoE S t a t e l e g i s l a t i v e Assembly. Borges
i n s i s t s on b a s i s Goias S t a t e C o n s t i t u t i o n and F e d e r a l law that, he
can be t r i e d o n l y w i t h p e r m i s s i o n L e g i s l a t i v e Assembly (where he
commands m a j o r i t y s u p p o r t ) and t h e n o n l y i n c i v i l n o t m i l i t a r y
c our t .
12. P r e s i d e n t C a s t e l l o Branco, aware o f b e a r i n g Borges case w i l l
have an image h i s Government a t home and abroad, has promised
t h r o u g h statement b y C i v i l Household C h i e f L u i s V i a n a t h a t case
w i l l be handled by due process o f law. I f Supreme Court agrees
t o j u r i s d i c t i o n M i l i t a r y T r i b u n a l , we b e l i e v e Borges o u s t e r
imminent. I f Supreme Court r u l e s t h a t Borges may o n l y be t r i e d
by or w i t h consent o f Goias S t a t e L e g i s l a t i v e Assembly, he may
r i d e out storm. A t moment Borges has 23 or 39 members on h i s s i d e ,
more than enough t o p r e v e n t r e q u i r e d a b s o l u t e m a j o r i t y v o t e a g a i n s t
him.
However, some PSD Assemblymen i n Borges group who harbor
g r i p e s a g a i n s t h i m and o t h e r s t h r e a t e n e d w i t h i n d i c t m e n t f o r
c o r r u p t i o n may change t h e i r v o t e under p r e s s u r e .
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