On October 22nd, 1945, it was renamed to International and State Defense Police (PIDE), that was in the peak of Estado Novo. Its function as PIDE was to chase, arrest and interrogate any person that was seen as an enemy to the dictatorship of Salazar. The objectors to the regime were taken to prisons, like Fortes de Caxias and Peniche, or even Tarrafal, in Santiago, in Cabo Verde. In the places the prisoners were subjected, many times through torture, to sleep deprivation, to isolation, poor eating conditions, bad hygienical and even health conditions, that lead many times to death.
PIDE also managed the censorship, one of the most famous tactics being the method known as Blue Pencil. This process consisted of the New State sensors utilizing a blue colored pencil in literature, theater, cinema, plastic arts, being cut, edited and prohibited before being published. To protect the dictatorship the cuts were justified as a method to prevent and contain attempts of subversion and defamation.
With the rise to power of Marcello Caetano, in 1968, the image of this police corporation had a bitter reputation towards the Portuguese people, leading the recent dictator to dissolve PIDE. Later, on November 24th, 1969, DGS was officially formed, in which maintain the same functions of the old PIDE.
Until 1974, and despite these name changes, its main function always remained to monitor the so-called enemies of the state to ensure the continued power of the dictatorship.
We will now present a testimony, the grandfather of one of us here, that is 70 years old and was part of the air force during the colonial war. Ninety percent of the country’s young male population was mobilized for the Overseas War, which caused around 10,000 deaths and 20,000 invalids among soldiers and more than 100,000 victims among civilians living in the colonies.
He stepped into the air force in October 1973 and pledged allegiance to the flag in November/December 1973. In February 1974 he went to Alverca do Ribatejo then being transferred to Luanda until October 1974. In February 1976 he had to go back to Luanda, to take care of the decolonization of Angola, Guinea Bissau and Mozambique until November 1976. In 1977/1978 he passed through the airport of Lisbon, returning to Alverca do Ribatejo, ending his military life.
