March 30, 1964
Álvaro Camara de Pádua
“President, everything's ready, the plan is already underway.” This was the message from General Assis Brasil, head of the Casa Militar, to João Goulart, while he waited to head over to the Automóvel Clube headquarters, in downtown Rio. There, the president would be honored at the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Sergeants and Warrant Officers Association of the Military Police. But the tense atmosphere was undeniable. Moments earlier, still at the Palácio das Laranjeiras, the UDN congressman Tenório Cavalcanti had allegedly grabbed Jango by the arm to try to stop him from going to the event. He said that the president's enemies would be on standby to exploit the disrespect for military hierarchy, and that the Army General Staff, headed by General Castello Branco, had given orders to commanders to keep the troops on standby.
Despite warnings from friends and advisers, Jango seemed to believe he had the backing of the so-called “military apparatus” – a policy attributed to general Assis Brasil that consisted of appointing trusted officers to strategic commands. Because of this, he headed to the Automóvel Clube, where he was awaited by a crowd of approximately two thousand people. In the audience, made up mostly of sergeants, non-commissioned officers and their families, were civilian ministers, the three commanders of the Armed Forces, and many sailors, corporals, and marines. The pot was about to boil over.
Civilian and military leaders took turns at the microphone that night, such as Abelardo Jurema, Minister of Justice, and corporal Anselmo, leader of the recent sailors' revolt. The mood in the auditorium was festive, as Jurema assessed it, “everything had the warmth and appearance of a march toward victory.” At 10 p.m., the most anticipated speech began, as Goulart took the microphone. In an improvised speech, in which he seemed to be beside himself, the president claimed that he was not a communist, but rather a nationalist. For approximately an hour and a half, he addressed thorny topics such as the base reforms, the political use of religion, and above all the military crisis. There, Jango spoke his last public words as president, just hours before the first military movements toward the coup, still in the early hours of March 31, 1964.
Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a group of people gathered around a man positioned at the center. The spatial arrangement is asymmetrical, with some individuals closer to the camera and others farther away. In the lower part of the image, several people are standing, wearing military uniforms and straw hats. They are raising their hands in gestures of greeting. At the center, a man in a black suit is surrounded by other individuals, some also wearing military uniforms. In the background, more people can be seen observing the scene.Sargentos prestam continência a Jango em razão de sua chegada ao Automóvel Clube
. Rio de Janeiro, 30 de março de 1964. Autor desconhecido. Fundo Correio da Manhã / Arquivo Nacional.