Point of view”: On the DGS/PIDE headquarters occupation – 1974 (Semimórias) By Luis da Costa Correia

In a previous text, I described the circumstances in which, by chance of fate, I was tasked with coordinating the Marine Forces that were to carry out the operation that aimed to occupy the DGS/PIDE headquarters in Rua António Maria Cardoso in Lisbon on April 25, 1974: Special Marines Detachment (DFE) no. 10, commanded by the then Lieutenant Fernando Vargas de Matos (now Vice-Admiral), and a Company of Marines, commanded by the then Lieutenant, Junior Grade António Lobo Varela (unfortunately now deceased, in the rank of Commander).

This Company of Marines made up of several members who were serving in the Mainland Marines Force (based at the Alfeite Naval Base), embarked in three vehicles in the late afternoon of April 25, after I had given a speech explaining the mission that was to be carried out, stressing that it was aimed at establishing a democratic regime, and asked if anyone would agree to take part, but no one said anything.

The Special Marines Detachment, awaiting instructions near the statue of Cristo Rei, would later join the Marines Company, with both units under my coordination.

Both units arrived at the Navy’s premises at around 8 p.m. They parked by the south gate on Ribeira das Naus Avenue, and I entered the parking lot. Commanders Marques Abrantes and Abel de Oliveira met me to announce that the Navy’s Chief of Staff, Admiral Ferreira de Almeida, had already informed the Navy that it was joining the military movement.

I asked Commander Marques Abrantes to convey my thanks to Admiral Ferreira de Almeida for his information, and in the meantime, I was asked to take a phone call from Commander Carlos Almada Contreiras, who told me that the PIDE had fired on demonstrators, killing some, so he asked us to move quickly to surround their headquarters, and we left immediately.

When we arrived in Chiado, we saw Army combat vehicles in the area, so I immediately went to find the commander while the Navy forces disembarked from the vehicles.

It was just after 21H00.

I then met Cavalry Captain Andrade Moura (from Cavalry Regiment 3 – Estremoz). We set up the siege plan: two combat cars would remain in Rua Duque de Bragança, another in Rua Vítor Cordon, and the combat car that was already there would remain in Rua António Maria Cardoso, in front of the DGS/PIDE headquarters; the Special Marines Detachment, in Chiado, between Largo de Camões and Rua Duques de Bragança, and the Marines Company along Rua do Alecrim, to isolate the DGS/PIDE headquarters until it was decided to occupy it.

A long night awaited us in the company of many citizens and journalists, eager to see what would happen.

During the night, some DGS/PIDE agents were captured and detained in the Governo Civil (civil authorities at the time). Regular contact was maintained with Commander Contreiras (using a telephone booth), who, as the “de facto” commander of the operations of the aforementioned Navy Forces on land, ensured telephone coordination with the commander (then Major Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho, now Colonel) – in the Pontinha Regiment – of the operations of the Army and Air Force Forces also involved in the actions aimed at deposing the government.

(I remember, for example, being approached during the night by journalist Benjamim Formigo, from Expresso, who asked me what our objectives were, and I replied that the essential thing was to establish democracy, which obviously included freedom of the press).

At around 8am, I had one of the detained agents selected to carry a verbal message to the Director General of the DGS/PIDE informing him that we were about to enter Headquarters, recommending the necessary precautions to avoid incidents, a mission that Agent J. Azevedo carried out, bringing the respective confirmation.

(I had promised him that he would receive preferential treatment afterward, which I tried unsuccessfully to make happen – a situation that would disappoint me greatly).

In the meantime, a new Marine Force had arrived in Chiado, commanded by Lieutenant-Commander Abrantes Serra, with instructions to reinforce the siege (and carrying a bazooka in case an assault on the headquarters was necessary).

Since there was no need for reinforcements, I suggested that the force head for the Caxias Fort, where it would probably be necessary to release the political prisoners, an idea that he immediately accepted.

I then asked Commander Contreiras for his assent to my intentions and, accompanied by Lieutenant Vargas de Matos and some journalists, I walked down Rua António Maria Cardoso, noticing that my comrade from my course in Military Preparatory Studies, Major Campos Andrada, was also walking down the street to join the group I had mentioned, so I gladly welcomed him as I hadn’t met him for many years.

And so we entered the DGS/PIDE headquarters, having climbed the stairs to the Director-General’s office, where Major Silva Pais, accompanied by several of his collaborators, was waiting for us. He promptly told us that the Directorate-General for Security was on the side of the Armed Forces, to which I immediately pointed out: “Major, then I don’t understand why those portraits are still hanging in your office” (obviously referring to those of Dr. Oliveira Salazar, Admiral Américo Tomás, and Prof. Marcelo Caetano).

Major Silva Pais immediately mentioned he would take them down, so I told him that it would be better to commission some of his staff to do the job. This was quickly done in an act whose profound symbolism signaled the end of the military operations launched the day before to depose the current dictatorial political regime.

In the meantime, I noticed that soldiers from the Estremoz Regiment under the command of then Cavalry Captain Alberto Ferreira – now a Colonel – had preceded us into the building and were already disarming the DGS/PIDE staff, collecting their weapons in the office adjacent to that of the Director-General, and indicating to them the rooms where they should await instructions as to their destination, so I arranged with Lieutenant Vargas de Matos and Lieutenant, Junior Grade Lobo Varela for security around the Headquarters, in the streets of António Maria Cardoso, Duques de Bragança, Vítor Cordon and Alecrim, with the aim of not only containing the population that was gathering in the vicinity demanding “immediate justice”, but also explaining that it would be up to the Courts to judge those responsible for the regrettable proceedings that had taken place the night before – and with me staying inside the building with a small group to ensure coordination with the outside forces and with the Comrades in Arms of Cavalry 3 who were continuing – already under the on-site command of Captain Andrade Moura, returned from the Carmo Barracks, where he had stayed overnight – the interior search of the various existing offices, which was completed before 18:00 p.m., at which point they left and headed for the 2nd Lancers Regiment, where they would rest before returning to Estremoz on the 27th.

Once the security arrangements had been set up outside and I realized that it would be necessary to reinforce the occupation inside with more qualified personnel, I immediately began to request by telephone that the General Staff send more officers and other personnel to surrender Cavalry Regiment 3, which was about to withdraw, having had a prompt response – because some presented themselves as early as 19:00 – and I suggested that the Navy Detachment in the building on Rua António Maria Cardoso be officially designated DestacMarCardoso – which was immediately approved, thus taking the first step in the Navy’s intervention in the process of extinction the DGS/PIDE.

I then invited Major Silva Pais to inform me about some essential elements for understanding the internal organization of the DGS/PIDE, to which he readily agreed.

And I started with the Dispatch folder, the first tab of which referred to transcripts of telephone taps.

“Major, don’t tell me that the Directorate-General for Security was tapping people’s phone calls!” I told him immediately, in a somewhat ironic tone.

“Those were instructions we were given, sir.”

I opened the tab. Who was the first person waiting for a comment? Adriano Moreira.

I immediately closed the tab, understanding that deciding to deal with that matter required a political assessment beyond me. I looked through the remaining tabs, finding nothing requiring urgent decisions, so I asked Major Silva Pais to explain how the General Directorate was set up. I also instructed Sergeant Miranda (now a senior officer) – as I was the most senior officer in the building – to inform the DGS staff that they should await instructions in the offices and rooms that had been indicated to them as places to stay by our Army Comrades, who were meanwhile continuing the search of the entire building that they had started earlier in the morning.

At around 6:30 p.m., after the 3rd Cavalry had left, a courier arrived carrying a document signed by General Spínola and bearing an illegible white seal, in which Senior Inspector Coelho Dias was appointed as the new Director-General of Security.

I asked him to come to me, handed him the document, and congratulated him. When he asked me where his office would be, I told him that as he would certainly be exhausted, it would be best to go to his residence to rest, where he would wait for the appropriate instructions.

Turning to Sergeant Miranda, I asked him to arrange a car to take the inspector home, accompanied by an appropriate escort.

And, as soon as he left the Director General’s office (where we were), I ordered the then Sailor Luís (later a distinguished member of the PSP) to go and warn the numerous journalists who were allowed to wait near the entrance to the building that there was someone who had just been appointed Director General of Security.

Journalists did their duty by quickly informing the country of General Spínola’s intentions, thus enabling his reassessment.

A few hours later, the political prisoners were released from the Caxias Fort, and the DGS/PIDE staff went to occupy the cells that had been left vacant.

Once the operation to take over the Headquarters and its Prisons and Delegations was over, the first phase of the DGS/PIDE’s extinction began.

Other actors would come into play.

Luís Costa Correia, Portugal

August, 2020

Luís Manuel Dias Costa Correia was born in Setúbal, on November 8, 1939. He enlisted in the Navy (Naval Academy) on October 17, 1956, being successively promoted to Ensign (1960), Lieutenant (1964), Lieutenant Commander (1972), Commander (1980), and Captain (1986). He left active service in 1988 and retired in 1990. He attended the General Naval War Course and the Inter-Forces General Staff Course. He participated in the movement that led to the 25th of April 1974, as well as in the occupation of the DGS/PIDE, between April and June of that year. He held the position of Director-General of STAPE between 1975 and 1977, being responsible for organizing the legislative, presidential, municipal, and regional elections in 1976. From 1977 to 1980, he represented the Navy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for matters of military cooperation with Portuguese-speaking African countries. After leaving the Navy, he joined the European Commission, responsible for the Transport Service from 1989 to 1993, and the European Information Networks in Portugal between 1994 and 2004. He has published several articles addressing issues related to Defense policy and national and international politics, among others.

We thank the Luso-American Education Foundation for supporting Filamentos and all cultural projects at PBBI-Fresno State.

Translated by Diniz Borges and Jorge Bettencourt.