April 1, 1964
Danilo Araujo Marques
At 12:30 p.m., a few cars stopped in front of the Quartel-General da Artilharia de Costa, Posto 6, next to the Forte de Copacabana. A man in his fifties jumped out of one of the vehicles, resolute, and walked in through the front door. His name was Colonel César Montagna de Souza, and he was there to enforce the uprising against the ruling legal order. Behind him, 19 students from the Army Command and General Staff School (ECEME), all armed and out of uniform, stormed in shouting. The QG's commander, General Antônio Henrique Almeida de Moraes, decided not to cause a commotion and asked the rebels to change their minds. In vain. That late morning, the scene was worthy of a western: on one side, the rebels held the Forte; on the other, the general, 12 sergeants, and 20 soldiers held the QG. That's how it was, until it wasn't.
"The HQ was seized. It was a coup against half a dozen bureaucrats who were inside. A farce," said Lieutenant Colonel Newton Cruz, one of the 19 invaders. The action was quick and there was no exchange of gunfire. But the images created enough impact to show society that, on that April 1st, the boundaries between legality and exception had definitively broken down within the barracks.
This is because the occupation of Guanabara's first military institution by rebel forces happened right under TV Rio's window. Part of the movement was filmed. A short time later, it was on air – and hitting audience peaks. On that particular April Fool's Day, the so-called "revolution" was televised. And, as it happened, a young photographer from
Jornal do Brasil,
called Evandro Teixeira,
It was also there. The result was the spreading of the atmosphere of a historic day and the fabrication of the imaginary of the coup's zero moment.
Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of a building with the inscription "Q.G. da ARTILHARIA de CÓS A da 1ª R.M." at the top. The building has columns and a balcony with a balustrade. On the left, a tree is partially visible. On the balcony, two men are standing near a flag. On the right, other men are standing, some holding lances. A ladder is leaning against the building.Quartel General da Artilharia de Costa.
1 de abril de 1964.
Fundo Correio da manhã/Arquivo Nacional.