The ecumenical act in honor of Vladimir Herzog and its impact on the security and intelligence community (1975-1978)

• Grant number: 24/16186-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2024
• End date: November 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History - History of Brazil
• Principal Investigator: Marcos Francisco Napolitano de Eugenio
• Grantee: Bruno Franklin Teodoro
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This research project aims to investigate the impact of the Ecumenical Act named after Vladimir Herzog in the so-called "security and information community", during the government of General Geisel (1974 - 1979). Upon assuming the presidency and announcing the "distension project", Geisel ends up leading a political crisis in the regime, between the federal government and the "hard line" - represented by the security community and information - that he did not want any flexibility in the repressive machine formed by the regime from 1969 onwards. Due to the great repercussion of Herzog's murder and the Ecumenical Act in his honor, this has being the first big social and political mobilization regarding the military regime since AI-5, the political crisis between the executive power and the of repression forces reached an even greater level of potential, culminating in the resignation of the commander of the II Army, general Ednardo D'Ávila Mello, after the murder by Manuel Fiel Filho, under the same conditions and cover-up tactics used with Herzog. The aim, therefore, is to investigate how and to what extent the Ecumenical Act influenced the political crisis experienced by the regime, between the executive power and the forces repressive measures, as well as their effects in the subsequent years of the military dictatorship.