Herald Português

Exiles · 5 chapters · 25 min

Jango: The President Who Never Came Home

1964 to 1976Brasília, Porto Alegre and the Rio Grande do Sul frontier; Montevideo and the Uruguayan countryside; Buenos Aires and Mercedes, in Argentina

The story in brief

On the night of 1 April 1964, the president takes off from Brasília and, before he lands, he is deposed. He refuses a civil war, crosses the border and spends twelve years on the other side: a rancher in Uruguay, an ally of his old enemy, watched by Brasília, hemmed in by Condor. He comes home only to be buried.

The chapters

  1. Chapter 1 · 5 min · Free

    The Night Flight

    A plane takes off from Brasília with the president aboard. When it lands, he will no longer be president.

    Sources: Official letter from the chief of staff’s office to the National Congress, 2 April 1964 (Diário do Congresso Nacional, 3 April 1964); CPDOC/FGV, entries João Goulart and Ladário Teles; Jorge Ferreira, João Goulart: uma biografia (2011); Marco Antonio Villa, Jango: um perfil (2004)

  2. Chapter 2 · 5 min · Free

    The Other Side of the Fence

    Six days after reaching Uruguay, Jango loses his political rights for ten years. He buys a ranch and waits.

    Sources: Act No. 1 of the Supreme Command of the Revolution, 10 April 1964; CPDOC/FGV, entries João Goulart and Leonel Brizola; National Truth Commission, Report (2014), volume I; Dinair Andrade da Silva, Revista Brasileira de Política Internacional (2002)

  3. Chapter 3 · 5 min

    The Handshake

    The man who backed the coup against Jango flies to Montevideo. And holds out his hand.

    Sources: Ordinance 177 of the Ministry of Justice, 5 April 1968 (Diário do Congresso Nacional, 9 April 1968); Institutional Act No. 5, 13 December 1968; CPDOC/FGV, entries Frente Ampla, Carlos Lacerda and Renato Archer

  4. Chapter 4 · 5 min

    Condor

    Uruguay becomes a dictatorship. So does Argentina. The continent’s secret services make a pact. Jango is caught in the middle.

    Sources: National Truth Commission, Report (2014), volume I, chapters 2, 5 and 6; Telegram 1,003 of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 9 September 1976; CPDOC/FGV, entry João Goulart

  5. Chapter 5 · 5 min

    The Bridge

    Twelve years after crossing the border, Jango comes back to Brazil. Over a bridge. In a coffin.

    Sources: Law 6,683 of 28 August 1979 (the Amnesty Law); National Truth Commission, Report (2014), volume I, chapter 2; Chamber of Deputies, External Committee on the death of João Goulart, report (2001); CPDOC/FGV

Who’s who

The people you meet. Each one is a hero card you can collect.

  • Ladário Pereira TellesThe general who wanted to resist · Third Army · April 1964
  • The Exiles of 1964Purged politicians, trade unionists, students · Montevideo, Santiago, Paris · The return of 1979
  • Renato ArcherThe organizer of the Frente Ampla · Navy officer · Congressman for Maranhão
  • Juan Domingo PerónPresident of Argentina · Eighteen years in exile · The exile who came home
  • Teotônio VilelaThe Minstrel of Alagoas · Senator · The amnesty committee
  • Darcy RibeiroThe author of the letter · Anthropologist · The exile who came home

What you’ll be able to tell

This story belongs to the journey “The Deposed”. By the end of it, you can tell why each of them had to leave, how they left, and what exile cost them.

Stories in this journey

  1. 24 Hours: The Exile of Dom Pedro II
  2. Washington Luís: The Deposed President
  3. Jango: The President Who Never Came Home

Sources

  • Official letter from the chief of staff’s office to Congress, 2 April 1964
  • Act No. 1 of the Supreme Command of the Revolution, 10 April 1964
  • Ordinance 177 of the Ministry of Justice, 5 April 1968
  • Telegram 1,003 of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 9 September 1976
  • Law 6,683 of 28 August 1979
  • CPDOC/FGV
  • National Truth Commission (2014)

Exiles: every story