Word: caetano
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...officers throughout Portugal, soured by the nation's debilitating 13-year war against guerrillas in three African colonies, the messages could not have been clearer. After We Say Goodbye was an alert that this was the night the army would move against the totalitarian regime of Premier Marcello Caetano. "Dark land" meant that this was the moment to launch the coup. Thus began one of the few coups in which military officers threw out a totalitarian regime and declared their intention to establish a democratic government-instead of vice versa. In time, the shock waves sent...
...Premier Caetano sought refuge in the Lisbon Republican National Guard headquarters, and Portugal's 79-year-old President, Américo Thomaz, retreated to the barracks of a loyal regiment of lancers. Before surrendering, Caetano, in an effort to preserve the dignity of the state, asked if he could formally turn over the powers of his office to General António de Spínola, the spiritual leader of the rebellion, rather than let the government "fall in the streets." Spínola, who claimed to be aloof from the plotting, replied that he would have to consult...
...cheers of a waiting crowd, Spínola, who had been one of the country's best guerrilla fighters, entered Republican National Guard headquarters for what was reportedly a polite, even friendly talk with Caetano, who had governed Portugal since 1968 when Dictator António de Oliveira Salazar suffered a stroke. (Salazar died in 1970.) To emphasize the continuity of power despite the coup, the general went to Lisbon's Portela Airport the next morning to bid farewell to Caetano, Thomaz and their senior Cabinet Ministers; they were jetted to exile on the tourist island of Madeira...
...African colonies. The war consumed more than 40% of the nation's $1.3 billion annual budget, claimed the lives of some 250 Portuguese troops every year, and caused profound frustration in the army, which felt that it was trapped in an unwinnable battle. Disenchantment with the Caetano government's colonial policy climaxed in February when Spínola added his prestigious name to those of the dissenters with his book against the war. Young officers enthusiastically echoed Spínola's criticisms and in March even attempted an ineffectual coup that was smashed within hours. They were...
...Lisbon last Wednesday night when the signal came for the drama to begin. It was a folk song, called "Grandola," broadcast over one of the local radio stations at half past midnight. By 6 a.m., Lisbon was completely surrounded by rebel troops; 12 hours later, Portuguese dictator Marcello Caetano surrendered, and the oldest fascist government in Europe was toppled...