By ERIK CHICONELLI GOMES*
How Itamaraty operated a secret global surveillance system during the military dictatorship
The history of the Brazilian military dictatorship continues to reveal its darkest layers, even decades after its end. Among the most shocking discoveries is the operation of a clandestine intelligence division within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs itself, the Foreign Information Center (Ciex), which monitored more than 17 people around the world during two decades of activity.
This revelation not only deconstructs the image of Itamaraty as a neutral institution during the dictatorship, but also highlights the sophistication and global reach of Brazil's repressive apparatus. The surveillance system established demonstrates how Brazilian diplomacy was instrumentalized to serve the interests of the military regime, transforming embassies and consulates into points of information collection on citizens considered subversive.
The magnitude of this clandestine operation, which operated from 1966 to 1986, reveals a crucial chapter in Brazilian history that transcends national borders. The systematic monitoring of Brazilians and foreigners abroad demonstrates how the Brazilian military regime expanded its control beyond the national territory, establishing a surveillance network that was integrated into a larger system of repression in Latin America.
Prado comments that the creation of Ciex represented a significant rupture in Brazilian diplomatic tradition, inaugurating a period in which foreign policy was subordinated to the imperatives of national security. The author highlights how this change profoundly affected the structure and functioning of Itamaraty.
According to Fico, the establishment of Ciex was part of a larger process of militarization of Brazilian institutions, where civilian agencies were gradually incorporated into the regime's information and repression structure. This process reflected the anti-communist paranoia that characterized the period.
Silva argues that cooperation between Ciex and other South American intelligence services was fundamental to the consolidation of Operation Condor³. This collaboration demonstrates how diplomatic structures were used to facilitate transnational repression.
Setemy analyzes how Ciex developed sophisticated surveillance methods, including infiltration into exile communities and monitoring cultural and academic activities abroad.⁴ These practices reveal the extent of control exercised over the Brazilian diaspora.
Green highlights the devastating impact of this surveillance on exile communities, who lived in constant fear of being discovered and deported to Brazil.⁵ The author highlights how this pressure affected the political organization of the resistance abroad.
Quadrat’s research demonstrates how Ciex contributed to the construction of an international database on political opponents, facilitating repressive coordination between dictatorships in the Southern Cone.⁶ This informational infrastructure was crucial to the effectiveness of transnational repression.
The operation of Ciex represented a systematic violation of human rights and international conventions that protect political refugees. The use of the diplomatic structure for espionage and political persecution demonstrates the complexity of the repressive apparatus of the military dictatorship.
The exiled working class was particularly affected by the activities of the CIEX, which specifically monitored trade unionists and labor leaders abroad. This focus demonstrates how the military regime viewed the organized labor movement as a fundamental threat to its stability.
The legacy of this surveillance remains relevant today, raising questions about the limits of diplomatic action and the need for greater transparency in state intelligence activities. The disclosure of the Ciex documents contributes to the understanding of the mechanisms of control and repression used during the dictatorship.
The documentation now available allows us to reconstruct the networks of collaboration between different intelligence agencies in Latin America, highlighting how political repression was coordinated at a regional level. This perspective is essential to understanding the international dimension of the Brazilian dictatorship.
The Ciex archives also reveal how surveillance extended beyond direct political opponents, including artists, intellectuals and professionals who expressed any form of dissent towards the regime. This scope demonstrates the totalitarian nature of the surveillance exercised.
The opening of these archives represents an important step in the Brazilian transitional justice process, allowing victims and their families to better understand the mechanisms of persecution to which they were subjected. This knowledge is essential for the construction of historical memory of the period.
Ciex’s actions demonstrate how seemingly neutral institutions can be co-opted by authoritarian regimes for political repression. This historical lesson remains relevant in a global context where the balance between national security and civil rights continues to be debated.
Studying this dark period in Brazilian diplomacy offers important lessons on the need for democratic control mechanisms over state intelligence activities. Transparency and accountability are essential to prevent similar abuses from happening again.
The history of Ciex reminds us that building democracy requires constant vigilance and a commitment to institutional transparency. Knowledge of this past is crucial to strengthening democratic institutions and preventing authoritarian setbacks.
The legacy of this story continues to resonate in contemporary Brazilian society, reminding us of the importance of preserving historical memory as an instrument of democratic strengthening and ensuring that human rights violations are not repeated.
*Erik Chiconelli Gomes is a postdoctoral fellow at the Faculty of Law at USP.
References
¹PRADO, Maria Ligia. Brazil and distant South America. History Magazine 145 (2001): 127-149.
²FICO, Carlos. How they acted: the underground of the military dictatorship. Rio de Janeiro: Record, 2001.
³SILVA, Vicente Gil da. The Alliance for Progress in Brazil: from anti-communist propaganda to an instrument of political intervention. Porto Alegre: UFRGS, 2008.
⁴SETEMY, Adrianna. Guardians of order: power and espionage in Brazil during the military dictatorship. Rio de Janeiro: National Archives, 2018.
⁵GREEN, James N. Despite You: Opposition to the Brazilian Dictatorship in the United States. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2009.
⁶QUADRAT, Samantha Viz. Repression without borders: political persecution and collaboration between the dictatorships of the Southern Cone. Thesis (Doctorate) – UFF, Niterói, 2005.
O GLOBO. A clandestine agency of the Itamaraty monitored 17 people during the dictatorship, researchers reveal. Available at: https://oglobo.globo.com/blogs/malu-gaspar/post/2025/02/orgao-clandestino-do-itamaraty-monitorou-17-mil-pessoas-na-ditadura-revelam-pesquisadores.ghtml.
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