PIDE
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The Polícia Internacional e de Defesa do Estado or PIDE (International and State Defense Police), was the main tool of repression used by the authoritarian regime of Salazar in Portugal, the Estado Novo.
Although the name PIDE was only used from 1945 to 1969, the whole network of secret polices using during the 40 years of the regime are commonly known as PIDE in much the same way the Soviet Union's different secret polices are commonly referred to as "The KGB".
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The PVDE
The origins of PIDE trace back to 1933, year of the instauration of the Estado Novo. Under direct orders from Salazar himself, the PVDE (Polícia de Vigilância e de Defesa do Estado; State Defense and Vigilance Police) was created, with 2 main sections:
- Social and Political Defense section, which was used to prevent and repress crimes of political and social nature (see: Censorship)
- International Section, which was used to control the entrance of immigrants, to expel undesired immigrants and to take care of counter-espionage and/or international espionage
In 1936, the prison of Tarrafal was created in the Portuguese colony of Cape Verde. This camp, under direct control of the PVDE, was the destiny of those political prisoners considered dangerous by the regime. Throughout the more than 40 years of the Estado Novo, 32 people lost their lives in Tarrafal, which was known for its severe methods of torture.
Also in 1936 with the beginning of the Spanish Civil War and in 1937 with the attempt against Salazar's life by anarchist militants, the PVDE started focusing in its battle against Communism and the underground Portuguese Communist Party. During this pre-World War II period, several Italian and German advisors came to Portugal, to help the PVDE to adopt a model similar to the Gestapo.
During the war, the PVDE knew its most intense period of activity. Lisbon was the European centre of espionage and one of the favourite exile destinies. Writers such as Ian Fleming (the creator of James Bond) and other famous personalities such as the Duke of Windsor or the Spanish Royal Family were exiled in Lisbon. German spies attempted to buy information on trans-Atlantic shipping to help their submarines fight the Battle of the Atlantic. The Spaniard Juan Pujol Garcia, better known as Codename Garbo, passed on misinformation to the Germans, hoping it would hasten the end of the Franco regime - he was recruited by Britain as a double agent while in Lisbon. Conversely, William Colepaugh, an American traitor, was recruited as an agent by the Germans while his ship was in port in Lisbon - he was subsequently landed by U-boat U-1230 in Maine before being captured. In June 1943, a commercial airliner carrying the actor Leslie Howard was shot down over the Bay of Biscay by the Luftwaffe after taking off from Lisbon, possibly because German spies in Lisbon believed that Prime Minister Winston Churchill was on board.
Several American reports called Lisbon "The Capital of Espionage". However, the PVDE always maintained a neutral stance towards foreign espionage activity, as long as no one intervened in the Portuguese internal policies.
The PIDE
In 1945, the PVDE was dissolved and replaced by PIDE. Unlike its predecessor, which sought inspiration in the Gestapo, PIDE followed the Scotland Yard model. As a section of the Polícia Judiciária (Investigation Police), it had full powers to investigate, detain and arrest anyone who was thought to plot against the State.
PIDE had two main functions:
- Administrative functions (which included functions related to the migration services)
- Criminal repression functions
PIDE is considered by many authors as being one of the most functional and effective secret services in History. Using a wide network of covert cells, which were spread throughout Portugal and its overseas territories, PIDE had infiltrated agents in almost every underground movement, such as the Portuguese Communist Party and independentist movements acting in Angola or Mozambique. The PIDE encouraged citizens - the so-called bufos (snitches) - to denounce suspicious activities, through monetary and prestige prizes. This resulted in an extremely effective espionage service which was able to fully control almost every aspect of the Portuguese daily life. Thousands of Portuguese were arrested and tortured in PIDE's prisons.
The PIDE intensified its actions during the Portuguese Colonial War.
The DGS
In 1969, Marcello Caetano renamed PIDE to DGS (Direcção Geral de Segurança, Directorate-General of Security). The collapse of Salazar and the ascension of Caetano brought some attempts of democratization, in order to avoid popular insurgences against censorship, the ongoing colonial war and general compression of civil rights. This resulted in a decrease of perceived violence used by the secret police and a consequent reduction of its effectiveness.
The end of PIDE/DGS
The most dramatic moments of the Carnation Revolution occurred near the PIDE/DGS headquarters, in the infamous António Maria Cardoso Street. Unidentified agents opened fire from the top of the building, killing four demonstrators.
This was the last strategic point to be occupied by the insurgents, thus leading to the escape of the agents and the destruction of most of the records. In the days following the revolution, most escaped to Spain or went underground. Some of the archives were reportedly handed over by the Portuguese Communist Party to Soviet agents.
After being sanitized, the corporation continued its operations in the Portuguese colonies under the name of Military Information Police (Polícia de Informação Militar).
A commission was created for the extinction of the secret police. The remainder of the documents is since 1990 in the Torre do Tombo National Archive. They can be consulted, but the names of the agents and informers are not disclosed.
The only PIDE agents who faced trial were those responsible for the death of exiled opposition leader Humberto Delgado. They were tried in absentia and the case went on for years. They never served time in jail.
External Links
- Documentation of PIDE/DGS in the National Archive (http://www.iantt.pt/instituto.html?menu=closed&conteudo=pide&conteudo_nome=Arquivos%20da%20PIDE) (in Portuguese)