U.S. FORCES STOOD READY TO AID '64 BRAZIL COUP

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91-00901R000700060125-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 17, 2005
• Sequence Number: 125
• Publication Date: December 29, 1976
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 2005/07/01 : CIA-RDP91-00901 Rnmm~nnFn~
CA.1;'tCri
THE WASHINGTON POST
29 Doceinber 1976
gar Y /v Z;j y }~~{
By Lewis H. Diuguid
washinLrton Post Steil V riter
Thee United States was prepared,
1.1 needed, to support militarily the
Brazilian armed force:;' ouster of the
country's last civilian government, ac-
cording to U.S. official docurneuts re-
zectnitly as second-in-cor -mood of the- Figulredo criticized r11. involvement I
CIA. of the U.S. Navy. It was not clear to
The coati came after the turbulent what extent the Brazilian armed forc-
rule of Goulart. In the March 27 ca-
ble to Rusk, Gordon said. Goulart
was seeking "dictatorial powers, ac-
cepting the active participation of the
Brazilian Communist Party."
e3 were consulted beforehand by the
Americans-
A typical docunhont, or ginattng -rith
the Joint Chiefs of Staff and labeled
"top secret," was marked for circula-
tion to .the participating U.S. Air
..v., y ;ly behind t11e coup lead- Force units and says the nick i-tm"
A U.S. natal. t task force with an overwhelmingly Brother Sam "applies only to that part
aircraft carrier, a helicopter carrier, ei,;-.and on April 2, Gordon cabled
his recommendation that the John_ of he Au farce taste force activated
six destroyers and oil tankers was
son administration call off O pciatioih far total logistical support to
ordered to ta:ce positions opt the Bra- 1 ? :Brazil:'
ziliatz coast dulzn,; " the 1?5-1 cou i Brothel, Sam. , of
l Gordon, as,red about the origin oL
neiro were published by
gthe The Rio documents
of President ~ainst Jthe oao oul t r the Blather Sim nic,rnanle, said he
of President Joao Goulart, the docu- neusl+aper Jornal could not recall its use at the time.
meets show. do }3rasit in itseditions of Dec. 1 20. 7-le discounted speculation that fhr:
Thc, ..hips were to await orders 1 an accozzlpanying article explZ-cincA aiame referred to President Johnson's
. . - Lhe daily's correspouden t was able to T
:froth the U.S. ambassador of the time, ~ ropy a good part of them, at 15 cents brother, Sam you =tort John;on,Y and
Lincoln Gordon. ," suggested it might be a nun on Lncl
each in the Lyndon 13alnes Johnson
Sam.
Gordon, who later bec^...e'As,hst- `7 brary at the University of Texas in "I don't think President Johnson
ant Secretary Austin.
y of State ,a. Latin was really. personally involved," said.
John Fawcett, archivist of the LBJ
_lntertea, dcz ie l after the clop that ., Gordon.
library, said that a 1972 executive or-
tire United States play-,cl any role. der provided for release after io years Another Joint Chiefs message di-
niecl it a rain yesterday in a of the late president's papers on re- rests the comrtianr.er of the Air Force
trt-;~ph one interview. Military Air Transport Service to ap-
quest'following review by the original
point "frIaj. Gan. George $. Brown
"It was a contingency never put classifying agency.
into effect," he said, "We feared the The initial request for decla=sifica- mission commnander for - project
possibility of a civil war and Lion was mashie by Phyllis Parker; a Brother Sarn." Gen. Brown is- now
one side might need some outside graduate student in Latin American chairman of the Joint Chiefs of S.`rrff.,~
help. studies at the University of Texas, for The documents released. CIO not
1s a re'',ult Gordon said, he rec- a dissertation she has not yet pubii;oed? make clear how many; If any, combat
ommended c,zeatioa' o.f the to is' al An alert Brazilian editor rcaclim a troops wares ,iantidi to the operation.
f , -ce teat became known in dec? ;s- University of Texas publication noticed The :fir Force was assigned, or. March
.;lfied inil tart' cables as "Operation that documents about Brazil had been 31 to provide six C-135 transports to
x;totner S~.m' declassified, I- sent a reporter to,read pick up 110 tons of small arms and
then animanition-,which the Army t,as to
Chi documents Shod that on March mzenrnhra st ."uTp( .1nr. -Air 1:'r-- Race
27, 1961, five days before the cu.rrru- der intense censorship. But the tenizor-
nation of the eonp, : Gordon cabled ship has loosened considerably for
Secretary of State. Dean Rusk that major daily newspapers considered
the probable leader of the military relatively "safe" by the military gov
takir-_;.. power:'would be Gen. -1-Run- ' ernment,
berto Castello, Branco. Several scholars specializing in Bra-
Gordan's military attache was Gen. - z'lian studies--who are meeting now
Verition Walters, a. close - friend' of in Washington in conjunction with the
Gen. Castello Branco, tv io became American Historial Association - ex=
president of Brazil. Walters has ac-
knowleciged breakfasting with Cas-
tello Bi?anc.o on the morning after the
coup and urging hire to assume the
" In the cables now made public, . the documents were made public. hy.
Gordon refers to Walters as being the U.S. government. A retired mar-
"very well informed." l alters retired, shall who took part in the coup,
'Approved F iF-l .s4jR?4?07,101 n dM
ma ex ensi.ve razi.zan..followun tress
? mu new .l ersey uy bete.LeiLOWuic;
"for onward movement as directed".
by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. -
The planes apparently did not Tread
south before cancelation of-the opera-
Lion April 2.
.
Distribution -of these deploymnt
messages included the White liouse. .
state Department, several sections of
pressed, surprise : that the -documents
showing U.S. intimacy with the 1904
coup at its outset could, be published
in Brazil.
The Jornal stories emphasized that
task force was positioned 'off Brazil.
91-00901 R000700060125-0