BRAZIL: The Preventive Revolution

The army toppled the President last week in a Brazilian-style revolution: bloodless, almost gentle, and, to foreigners, bewildering. It was a coup to forestall a coup, a “preventive revolution.”

Brazilian army officers traditionally like to think of themselves as the true de fenders of constitutional government. A fervent upholder of that tradition is Lieut. General Henrique Teixeira Lott, 61, leader of last week’s revolt. In recent months War Minister Lott had emerged as the army’s sturdiest opponent of the faction called golpistas—the military and civilian leaders who favor a golpe (coup) to keep middle-roading President-elect Juscelino Kubitschek (TIME, Oct. 17 et ante) from taking office next January.

A crisis began to simmer a fortnight ago, involving Lott’s right to discipline an outspoken golpista army colonel. This dispute turned into a decisive test of strength between Lott and the golpe faction. In the midst of the crisis, a heart attack flattened President Joāo Café Filho, and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Carlos Luz, took over as Brazil’s Acting President. Luz, suspected of being a golpista, ruled against War Minster Lott in the affair of the loose-lipped colonel. Lott resigned, and Luz promptly named a golpista general as War Minister.

That night, after telephoning trusted army comrades, Lott touched off what Brazilians labeled “the anti-golpe.” In the small dark hours, troops in battle kit swarmed into rain-soaked Rio. By morning the city was in Lett’s hands. Segments of the navy and air force first declared for Luz, but backed down the next day without firing a shot. Luz himself fled aboard a navy cruiser. The Chamber of Deputies declared Luz “unable to serve” (on the technical ground that he was at sea), duly named as his successor Senate President Nereu Ramos, next in line according to the Constitution. One of Ramos’ first official acts was to reappoint Lott as War Minister. The following morning, ex-President Luz sent President Ramos a radio message that he had decided to go along with Congress’ decision and return to Rio.

At week’s end, with the golpe menace dispelled by Lott’s bold anti-golpe, Brazil seemed calmer than it had been in months.