TroopsunderthecommandofGeneralOlympioMourãoFilholeaveJuizdeForaheadingtowardRiodeJaneiro

March 31, 1964

Álvaro Camara de Pádua

March 31 began earlier for the soldiers of the 4th Military Region. Garrisoned at number 1180 Mariano Procópio street in Juiz de Fora, in the building that once housed the Imperial Family, 2,700 men – officers, soldiers, and military police alike – from the so-called "Tiradentes Detachment" received the order to march toward Rio de Janeiro.

The intention of the commander, General Olympio Mourão Filho, was to light the fuse of rebellion, thus causing an institutional disorder that would enable an intervention by the Armed Forces. While the troops were on the move, the commander made sure to release his “Manifesto to the Nation and to the Armed Forces,” in which he officially declared himself in rebellion against the government of João Goulart and instituted a state of war in Minas Gerais.

The truth is that Mourão's troop did not have enough ammunition or training for combat action in open terrain, and if a surprise clash had occurred, the detachment would not have had any chance at all. After 40 kilometers from the "revolutionary ground zero," they parked at the border with Minas Gerais, near the town of Areal in Rio de Janeiro state. The descent along the União e Indústria road contributed to the spectacular character of the incursion due to its narrow width and its curves, which meant that the jeeps, buses, and trucks carrying the troop, as well as the combat vehicles, had to travel at reduced speed.

As soon as news of the rebellion reached the government in Rio, General Assis Brasil ordered the I Army to mobilize in order to contain the movement and demand Mourão's surrender. What they did not imagine was that a large part of the officer corps and soldiers were not willing to die for democracy, and so they joined the coup plotters. General Cunha de Mello, the legalist military officer in charge of commanding the government troops, still tried to organize a resistance by closing off the road to Rio de Janeiro. However, it was already too late — the I Army was already split and no longer had any means of reacting to the coup.

Image description: The image is a black-and-white photograph. On the left, there is a directional sign with three plates. The first reads "S. PAULO," the second "RIO DE JANEIRO," and the third "TRÊS RIOS." In the center of the image, we see a road with several people walking and vehicles, including trucks and cars, in motion. On the right, there is a hill covered with vegetation.