ep 2/18 part 5/7

[Adriano Moreira - Overseas Minister 1961/62] What I think is that that portuguese general took into consideration the international situation, in which the US have a role, to make a decision that he thought was the best one for the portuguese State. [General Kaúlza de Arriaga - Subsecretary/Secretary of State of the Air Force 1955/62] There was a naval attaché in the american embassy that I knew quite well, I even met with him later in the oil industry, called Fitzpatrick, naval attaché in the american embassy. At that time he was a CIA agent in Lisbon, he was in charge of the CIA in Lisbon... if not the one in charge at least he was someone important. And that man had a good relationship... this was said to me by Botelho Moniz himself: "I am in contact with the CIA through Commander Fitzpatrick", he said to me. Fitzpatrick was impelling Botelho Moniz for a coup. And now it was no longer only diplomatic contacts but also military ones. Thus, one might say that the americans were in fact interested in the beginning. [Adriano Moreira - Overseas Minister 1961/62] As far as I know he (Botelho Moniz) never took any position concerning the structuring of a path to the future of those portuguese territories, and for me that is a hollow project for a coup d'état, which is something difficult to accept. For Adriano Moreira, Botelho Moniz's project was ill-defined, because it didn't go beyond the UN decolonization program, and because besides that he believed that Salazar would opt for a reform process in Angola, he backed the counter-coup led by Kaúlza de Arriaga. At that time Subsecretary of State of the Air Force, Kaúlza was successful in disrupting the main meeting of conspirators against Salazar, by denouncing the conspiracy to Américo Tomás, the President of the Republic. [General Kaúlza de Arriaga - Subsecretary/Secretary of State of the Air Force 1955/62] I called General Gomes de Araújo and told him: "In a few hours you are going to be nominated Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff", I said it just like that, "and as soon as that happens, you have to convene all the Generals, or the majority of them, and convince them not to go to the meeting (of the conspirators)". Because what was needed was to sabotage the meeting. [General Costa Gomes - Subsecretary of State of the Army] The meeting was precisely to settle ideas, given that the President of the Republic had not accepted the suggestions brought by Botelho Moniz, it was for us..., convinced that we had on our side all the forces except, already at that moment, the air force and the navy... but we didn't need those for nothing anyways, ...to make a military coup and to oust the President of the Council (of Ministers - Salazar). We were not sure if we were also going to substitute the President of the Republic, but for the President of the Council, there was even an airplane ready for take off, to take him to Switzerland. [General Kaúlza de Arriaga - Subsecretary/Secretary of State of the Air Force 1955/62] And I headed directly to (the National Palace of) Belém (official residence of the Portuguese President) to meet with the President of the Republic, and I told him what was going on, while I was there meeting with him, a request submitted by the Defense Minister (Botelho Moniz) arrived there. It was him asking to be received immediately. He wanted to propose my resignation. The President told him that he couldn't receive him, and I went to the Air Force HQ and established a Command Post at the Lisbon Airport. [General Costa Gomes - Subsecretary of State of the Army] By that time, Kaúlza de Arriaga had already undermined (the meeting)... The situation had suddenly turned against Botelho Moniz, because him (Kaúlza de Arriaga) and Botelho Moniz had never had good relations, and therefor he denounced what was happening to the President of the Republic and to the head of the government (Salazar), and it seems that he advised (them) that the best solution was actually to all of a sudden resign the ministers and military officers and to substitute them by people who enjoyed their full trust. [General Kaúlza de Arriaga - Subsecretary/Secretary of State of the Air Force 1955/62] Meanwhile, at about 1 p.m., I summoned (name?), - Do you know who he is? He was some sort of Chief of Staff for Salazar, and also Prof. (name?) who was intimate with Salazar, and General Gomes de Araújo, the one I said earlier. And I said: "Gentlemen, it is absolutely necessary that we dismiss the Defense Minister (Botelho Moniz), the Army Minister (Almeida Fernandes), the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Beleza Ferraz), the Subsecretary of State of the Army (Costa Gomes)..." before 3 p.m., because the meeting was at 5 p.m, and if they managed to get a big meeting, then a civil war would follow. [General Costa Gomes - Subsecretary of State of the Army] During the meeting everyone jumped because as soon as we know that General Botelho Moniz was going to be dismissed... In reality, if Botelho Moniz had wanted to force..., ...and maybe then we would go to a simulacrum or even for a civil war,... if he had wanted to execute an action with the forces of the military region of Tomar, that were the strongest ones in Portugal, then, naturally the "Abrilada" would have been able to impose itself. [General Kaúlza de Arriaga - Subsecretary/Secretary of State of the Air Force 1955/62] And indeed at 3 p.m. the National Broadcaster (E.N.) announced the resignation of all that people. [National Broadcaster (Emissora Nacional) - April 13th 1961] [Manuel Homem de Melo - Member of Parliament in 1961] Botelho Moniz was effectively incapacitated, that is the only explanation I can find, because Botelho Moniz wanted to make something of legal nature, and from the moment Salazar and (Américo) Tomás write him a letter saying that he was no longer Minister of Defense, he, in that meeting in Cova da Moura, says: "Gentlemen, the assumptions of this movement have changed, I am no longer (the Defense) Minister. I am going to listen to all of you, but for my part, I am not going to advance." And no one wanted to advance except Craveiro Lopes, who says: "I don't have the means. If I had them I know very well where I would go." In fact, in addition to Costa Gomes, who Kaúlza considered to be the mastermind behind the coup, almost all the main military chiefs were in the meeting, and along with them, a Marshal who had been President of the Republic, an enthusiast of Salazar, who had chosen him, but that in the meantime had fallen into disgrace with the President of the Council (Salazar), and that was now ready to overthrown him, in the hope of returning "to Belém" (official residence of the President of the Republic).