The Moderates Take Charge

Emboldened by the failure of an abortive radical coup, Portugal's moderates took charge last week in what might fairly be called a middle-road revolution. Since the putdown of the Nov. 25 leftist plot, more than 100 officers and soldiers have been arrested and flown to a safe prison in Oporto. Other radical officers and civilians fled the country, as did a scruffy mob of youthful revolutionary groupies from other nations in Western Europe, who had flocked to Lisbon to help the cause. "It's dreadful," complained one beautiful Swedish blonde. "The revolution's over."

As chief of staff of the armed forces, President Francisco da Costa Gomes warned all organizations in Portugal not to start demonstrations on behalf of the imprisoned leftist soldiers. "We will not be intimidated," his communique read --and this time the leftists were aware that the government would back up words with deeds, and even arms if necessary. The government nationalized all but one of the country's radio and television stations and suspended 30 employees who had urged workers to join in the November revolt.

President Costa Gomes lifted the partial siege that he had imposed on Lisbon during the rebellion, even though military authorities continued to look for 30,000 or so weapons that leftist soldiers claim to have stolen from arsenals and distributed to their civilian allies. Roadblocks were thrown up around the country, and cars were searched. Despite these efforts, however, only some 200 weapons had been recovered by week's end.

Two loyalist commandos who died in putting down the rebellion--Lieut. Jorge de Oliveira Coimbra and Corporal Joaquim dos Santos Pires--were given heroes' funerals after their bodies lay in state at a Lisbon church. Coimbra was buried in Oporto, and tens of thousands lined the roads from the capital to pay their respects.

The revolt led by detachments of radical paratroopers, it now appears, was only the first step of a giant plot to oust the shaky moderate regime headed by Premier Jose Pinheiro de Azevedo. The radical coup failed because the Communist Party hesitated to call masses of workers into the streets as expected and because leading military sympathizers, like Admiral Antonio Rosa ("Red Rosa") Coutinho, responded to a last-minute patriotic call to duty from Costa Gomes and urged their followers not to revolt. Beyond that, the paratroopers inexplicably rebelled a day ahead of schedule, and ludicrous oversights allowed the moderates to retaliate. One group of rebels locked Air Force General Anibal Jose Pinho Freire, commander of the first Lisbon region, in his quarters--right next to his telephone. Pinho Freire not only notified his superiors of what was happening, but coolly directed air force operations from his temporary prison.

Serious Problems. One unanswered question was the role of the Communists in the coup. In Lisbon's Constituent Assembly last week, moderate party delegates charged that the Communists had actually plotted the revolt, but then had stood aside as it became evident that the uprising would fail. Communists nevertheless denied complicity in the affair. "It is clear that my party disapproves of the happenings as they turned out," said Communist Party Spokesman Carlos Brito--to hoots of laughter in the Assembly. Socialist Leader Mario Scares demanded that the

Communists either repudiate the rebels and promise to support the government or get out of it. There is still one Communist minister in the Cabinet, and other Communists occupy lesser posts.

Portugal's immediate crisis is past, but the country must still reckon with serious problems before achieving either political or economic stability. "The people have seen only the tip of the iceberg," was the gloomy assessment of Antonio Vasco de Melo, one of the country's leading industrialists and president of the Confederation of Portuguese Industry. "The Communist Party is still in control of the big union confederation, and the Communists are still in the government. While this situation continues, there will be no investment in Portugal. The country needs confidence that there is real, practical authority, and it must be felt at the street level."

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