(7 of 9)
The sturdiest military opponent of the golpistas was majestic, stony-faced Lieut. General Henrique Teixeira Lott, War Minister under President João Café Filho, Vargas' successor. No great admirer of Kubitschek, non-political General Lott felt, nevertheless, that the army's clear duty was to accept the voters' decision and uphold the constitution. With most of the key army commanders on his side, Lott had enough firepower to keep the anti-inauguration camp from even trying to bring off a golpe—so long as he remained War Minister. To be on the safe side, Lott and trusted staff officers drew up operations plans for dealing with a revolt by i) civilians, 2) the air force, 3) the navy, or 4) the air force and navy together. Eight men alone knew of the existence of these plans, kept in four sealed envelopes in a locked desk drawer in the War Ministry.
Early in November President Café Filho, who had tried to stay neutral in the behind-the-scenes struggle, suffered a mild heart attack and went on sick leave. In keeping with the constitution, Chamber of Deputies Speaker Carlos Luz, suspected of golpista sympathies, took over as Acting President. On Nov. 10 Luz forced General Lott to resign. Lett's successor, a golpista army general, was waiting in the next room.
Early the next morning, army troops in full battle kit swarmed over Rio. During the night General Lott had opened Envelope No. 4. His bloodless "preventive revolution" was a complete success. Congress named Nereu Ramos, presiding officer of the Senate, as the new Acting President, and voted a state of siege to firm up his government.
Practical Goals. With his inauguration assured, Kubitschek went off on a hurried, three-week airborne tour of the U.S. and Europe, to win friends and stir up foreign interest in Brazil's vast problems and opportunities. The trip also served the useful purpose of gaining added prestige for Kubitschek, and giving Brazilians a chance to catch their breath and reflect on what manner of man they had chosen. Even his supporters are likely to find him something of a novelty. Brazil has had generals, statesmen and intellectuals for Presidents, but never before a businessman type like Juscelino Kubitschek.
The practical economic goals of Kubitschek's term are set forth in a 247-page document drafted in 1955 by Kubitschek and a brain-trust panel headed by Lucas Lopes, a brilliant engineer who bossed the Minas Gerais electric-energy program. To implement the plan, the President will set up, with Lopes as chairman, an Economic Development Committee made up of key administration officials and economic technicians. Kubitschek expects private capital to do most of the development job. "My government will interfere," he says, "only when private enterprise is unwilling or unable to carry out what is indispensable." The program in a Brazil-nutshell:
POWER. Expand electric-power capacity from the present 3,000,000 kilowatts to 5,000,000 by 1960. This is the heart of the program, and will require some $300 million worth of imported equipment.