CIA coup map

submitted by Robin from wikispooks.com

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[–]Valok 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (3 children)

I would advise to never use Wikipedia when it comes to politics. There's no real way for me to explain everything that happened in a simple comment, to trully understand the event you need to study it (which is why I linked the video, and even then it doesn't cover everything). General incompetence, and then the communist infiltration into high rank positions within the government led the armed forces to make their move. The mistake that most ppl make here is that since it was a refusal of communism by the population, then ofc it had to be "backed" by the USA. That is not true, while I have no doubt there were CIA operations in Brazil the actual grab of the government was a nationalist movement in defense of our sovereign.

Idk what was going on in the USA at the time but my guess is that they were too busy with the Vietnam war. Also that was a mistake in my opinion, should've left that place alone and glassed Cuba instead. The sheer amount of damage their influence (and by extension the USSR influence) did to SA cannot be understated.

[–]Tom_Bombadil 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

I agree. Wikipedia is questionable, at best. Here are some more reliable sources.

This is directly from the CIA.gov library website. U.S. FORCES STOOD READY TO AID '64 BRAZIL COUP

Here's an NSA archive of documents surrounding the coup.

Below are the top 2 of the 7 documents listed on the link above:

l) White House Audio Tape, President Lyndon B. Johnson discussing the impending coup in Brazil with Undersecretary of State George Ball, March 31, 1964

In this 5:08 minute White House tape obtained from the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library, President Johnson is recorded speaking on the phone from his Texas ranch with Undersecretary of State George Ball and Assistant Secretary for Latin America, Thomas Mann. Ball briefs Johnson on that status of military moves in Brazil to overthrow the government of Joao Goulart who U.S. officials view as a leftist closely associated with the Brazilian Communist Party. Johnson gives Ball the green light to actively support the coup if U.S. backing is needed. "I think we ought to take every step that we can, be prepared to do everything that we need to do" he orders. In an apparent reference to Goulart, Johnson states "we just can't take this one." "I'd get right on top of it and stick my neck out a little," he instructs Ball.

2) State Department, Top Secret Cable from Rio De Janiero, March 27, 1964

Ambassador Lincoln Gordon wrote this lengthy, five part, cable to the highest national security officers of the U.S. government, including CIA director John McCone and the Secretaries of Defense and State, Robert McNamara and Dean Rusk. He provides an assessment that President Goulart is working with the Brazilian Communist Party to "seize dictatorial power" and urges the U.S. to support the forces of General Castello Branco. Gordon recommends "a clandestine delivery of arms" for Branco's supporters as well as a shipment of gas and oil to help the coup forces succeed and suggests such support will be supplemented by CIA covert operations. He also urges the administration to "prepare without delay against the contingency of needed overt intervention at a second stage."

Obviously, the Brazilian military lead the coup. However, it's obvious that the US was eager to step in and raise the stakes if necessary.

How is this different from every other US backed military coup?

[–]Valok 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

That the US was eager to stomp on the communists here I have no doubt, it was the cold war after all, but what have they actually done? A ship was sent with some gas to São Paulo I think but the gas was not even given, the Governor of the state ended up paying for the gas out of his OWN pocket after asking for a lend from a cousin I believe who was a banker (Also I dont recall now but I'm not even sure that gas ended up being used).

Now, lets take a moment and compare that awesome "backing" with what the other side had in hands.. you have cuban/soviet agents arrested all over the country, communist activists were sent to Cuba for guerrilla training, some pockets of communist armed resistance being formed on the interior in some states, documents found on former soviet countries showing the names of agents, sympathizers, operations, etc. The video I linked shows all those documents and much more.

Sorry but no, I'm not trying to be disrespectful or to insult you or anyone else but here the US did fuck all. It does not deserve any "credit".

[–]Tom_Bombadil 4 insightful - 3 fun4 insightful - 2 fun5 insightful - 3 fun -  (0 children)

I'm not insulted, bro. This is good stuff. ;-)