April 1, 1964
Francis Duarte
With the start of troop movements in Juiz de Fora on March 31, an operation planned by the United States government and brokered in Brazil by general José Pinheiro de Ulhoa Cintra – a trusted man of Castello Branco's – was activated. Its goal was to provide logistical support to show that the U.S. government was backing the military's actions, but with the possibility of including other measures in the event of civil war. Operation Brother Sam consisted of transferring fuel to the insurgent military by sea, maintaining a naval presence close to the Brazilian coast, and supplying war matériel by air. The fleet included the aircraft carrier
USS Forrestal
, an aircraft carrier, six destroyers and four oil tankers. On the air front, seven C-135 planes, eight for refueling, one for support, eight fighter jets, one communications aircraft and one airborne command post were ready.
In addition to sending the naval task force that was heading to Brazil, other actions were also taken. In a meeting of the US National Security Council, President Lyndon B. Johnson was informed by Secretary of State Dean Rusk that Ambassador Lincoln Gordon was working in Brasília and Rio de Janeiro, using the available resources to encourage legislators to swear in the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Ranieri Mazzilli. Before the ships were sighted, in a swift move, President João Goulart was illegally removed from office and barracks around the country joined the movement. Thus, on April 2, in Rio de Janeiro, General Castello Branco reported that Operation Brother Sam was no longer necessary.
Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of an aircraft carrier at sea. From left to right, we see the ship's main structure, including the command tower and the funnels. In the center, the landing deck is occupied by planes arranged in rows. On the right, the flight deck is empty, with a few individuals walking about. The surrounding sea is rough, with waves visible.Imagem aérea do USS Forrestal, 1957. Acervo da Marinha dos Estados Unidos