Aragarças Revolt
| Aragarças Revolt | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 A rebel plane on fire | |||||
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
| Federal Government | Military personnel linked to the Jacareacanga Revolt | ||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||
| Henrique Teixeira Lott | Haroldo Veloso | ||||
The Aragarças Revolt, known locally as Revoltoso do Veloso,[1] was an attempted military coup against the government of Juscelino Kubitschek carried out from December 2 to December 4, 1959. Mainly carried out by Air Force and Army officers linked to another revolt against the government, known as the Jacareacanga Revolt, and the attempt carried out the first plane hijacking in the history of Brazil.
The coup attempt aimed to overthrow the government led by Juscelino Kubitschek and establish a military dictatorship in the country. The coup plotters, 18 people in total, predicted that they would receive support from the armed forces and politicians linked to UDN, the opposition party, but this did not happen and it was suffocated within 36 hours. The rebels fled to neighboring countries and nobody died.
Motive
[edit]The revolt was orchestrated by the self-styled Revolutionary Command, which brought together officers from the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) and the Army, totaling fifteen people in total, in addition to three civilians, led by major aviator Haroldo Coimbra Veloso and lieutenant colonel João Paulo Moreira Burnier, against the then President of the Republic, Juscelino Kubitschek.[2][3] Some of the military, like Veloso, had already tried to carry out a coup in 1956, which became known as the Jacareacanga Revolt. They were amnestied.[2] They had been planning the coup since 1957.[4]
The trigger was the fact that Jânio Quadros refused to run for president as a candidate supported by opposition parties, causing the PSD-PTB ticket to remain in power. The alliance was heir to Getulismo and Laborism and had been in power since 1946, but the armed forces wanted the country to be governed by the opposition party, the UDN.[2][3]
Furthermore, there were rumors that Juscelino Kubitschek was negotiating a constitutional amendment that would allow his re-election and that the governor of Rio Grande do Sul Leonel Brizola was orchestrating a coup against Jânio that would establish a communist labor dictatorship. Among the accusations was that Brizola threatened to take to the "wall those who gloated about the misery of the people".[2][3]
Events
[edit]Kidnappings
[edit]The revolt began on December 2, 1959, when ten men led by Haroldo Veloso and João Paulo Moreira Burnier stole three C-47 model planes full of weapons and explosives from the Galeão Air Base, in Rio de Janeiro.[2][3][5] A few hours later, Major Eber Teixeira Pinto hijacked the Panair Constellation commercial plane as it flew over Barreiras, in Bahia. It had taken off from Santos Drummont airport, in Rio de Janeiro, heading to Manaus carrying 46 people, 38 passengers and 8 crew,[1] including senator Remy Archer (PSD-MA) and Globo reporter José Ribamar Castello Branco, the niece of General Lott and the president of Banco da Amazônia. This was the first hijacking of an aircraft in Brazil.[2][3] Then, five men led by Major Washington Mascarenhas hijacked a Beechcraft D-18 owned by Companhia Estanífero do Brasil that was at Pampulha airport, in Belo Horizonte.[2][3][5] The C-47s and Beechcraft landed in Aragarças, where they waited for the Constellation to arrive. The objective was to bomb the palaces of Laranjeiras and Catete, in Rio, and occupy the bases of Santarém, Aragarças, Xingu, Cachimbo and Jacareacanga.[5] The landing site was chosen with the aim of spreading the group's ideals, as it is a geographically important center for officers and an air route. The rebels expected that the military and politicians linked to the UDN would join the coup, and that Juscelino Kubitschek would declare a state of siege, thus preventing the 1960 presidential election.[2][3] Furthermore, Veloso knew the city and was close friends with many of the residents. The hostages were taken to the Grande Hotel, and the military spread branches and barrels of fuel on the city's airstrip to prevent more planes from arriving. The city was besieged and communications were cut.[1]
Reactions
[edit]The following day, the newspaper Repórter Esso reported that the plane had crashed. Senator Victorino Freire (PSD-MT) took the stand at the Monroe Palace to present the situation, but was interrupted by senators Otávio Mangabeira (UDN-BA) and Afonso Arinos (UDN-RJ) for having received a manifesto from the Revolutionary Command, which announced his kidnapping. The manifesto called the Executive Branch as corrupt, the Legislative Branch as demagogic and the Judiciary as omissive. Furthermore, he stated that Brazil was about to fall into the hands of communists infiltrated in the government.[2]
The coup attempt was widely rejected by names linked to the government, such as Lameira Bittencourt (PSD-PA), and the opposition, such as João Vilas Boas (UDN-MT).[2] Carlos Lacerda was not only against the coup, but also denounced the Minister of War, General Lott.[3] Among others who were against it are Caiado de Castro (PTB-DF) and Lima Teixeira (PTB-BA).[2]
Despite this, some politicians linked to the UDN supported the coup. Otávio Mangabeira compared the rebels with Tiradentes, Deodoro da Fonseca and Getúlio Vargas. Afonso Arinos compared what happened to the Revolt of the 18 at Copacabana Fort. Among others who gave support is Daniel Krieger (UDN-RS).[2] Burnier expected at least 300 men to join the coup, but only 34 people joined, which was reduced to 15 at the end of the revolt. No garrison joined the coup plotters.[5]
Counterattack
[edit]On the 4th, General Lott sent paratroopers to Aragaças, who machine-gunned the tail of one of the C-47 planes, which was returning from an inspection flight in Mato Grosso, and the fuel barrels were bombed. The rebels fled with the other planes to Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia, and the hostages were released in Buenos Aires. The uprising was put down within 36 hours and nobody was killed. Residents report that the smoke took weeks to dissipate, and there was a strong smell of burning flesh, even though there were no fatalities.[1][2]
Aftermath
[edit]Unlike what had happened in the Jacareacanga Revolt, Kubitschek did not grant amnesty to the coup plotters.[2] An inquiry was opened to investigate the possible participation of Marshal Castelo Branco, future president of Brazil, as a true organizer of the coup plotters, but it was quickly archived.[5] Kubitschek tried to extradite the rebels, but failed due to the lack of agreements with the countries involved.[6] He also tried to prosecute them criminally and threatened to dismiss them from the armed forces if they did not return. There was a legal discussion as to whether the case was a riot or a revolt, which would imply a milder sentence.[7] The coup plotters returned to Brazil during the Jânio Quadros government.[4]
According to journalist Wagner William, Kubitschek predicted that the country would become ungovernable if the UDN did not come to power, and launched General Lott as a candidate knowing that he would lose. He predicted that the UDN would not provide a good government because of the economic crisis and would wear out. Jânio Quadros "renounced his resignation" and won the presidential election, but resigned from office, which led Brazil to a Military Dictatorship in 1964.[2]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Patrik Camporez (2019-11-30). "Aragarças, o QG de uma tentativa de golpe contra Juscelino". Estadão (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2024-05-23. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Ricardo Westin (2019-12-02). "Em 1959, militares sequestraram avião com passageiros e tentaram derrubar JK". Senado Notícias (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2024-05-23. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Denise de Almeida (2008-12-03). "1959 - Oficiais rebelam-se contra JK". Jornal do Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2015-09-21. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
- ^ a b "Revolta das Aragarças". Centro de Pesquisa e Documentação de História Contemporânea do Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Fundação Getúlio Vargas. 2013-07-16. Archived from the original on 2024-05-23. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
- ^ a b c d e "Juscelino sofre nova tentativa de golpe". Memorial da Democracia (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 2024-05-23. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
- ^ "Governo não solicitará extradição de rebeldes". Folha de S.Paulo. 1959-12-07. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
- ^ "JK: "Todos os recursos legais para a punição dos revoltosos"". Folha de S.Paulo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 7 December 1959. Retrieved 2024-05-23.