>>54196
The authors mischaracterize Goulart's March 13th rally ("in which he called for constitutional amendments, among them the legalization of the communist party"), his speech never mentioned the Communist Party - but indeed, banners calling for its legalization are prominent in famous photographs of the event. I was more intrigued by their mention of "the right-wing forces from whom the U.S. was already distancing itself or from the major industrialists or landowners whom the U.S. had already been willing to sell out". History proves Americans can abandon their allies, but Marxist analysis would absolutely rule out abandoning industrialists tied to American capital. In fact, this strand of thought would place economic interests far above geopolitical concerns, ultimately dismissing all talk of communism as a smokescreen for upper class interests harmed by potential social democratic reforms. I'd say early attempts at a constructive American relationship with Goulart do suggest a tolerance for moderate reforms if coupled with a pro-Western foreign policy.

On the inverse topic, that of Eastern Bloc support for Goulart's camp, two intelligence documents from the JFK files have made the news, one covering the 1961 crisis and another written after the coup. Actually it seems both were released years ago and this year's versions just have slightly less redacted sections.

The file I'm sharing reinforces what was already known to historians on Cuban projection of soft power and training of guerrilla operatives. The insignificant scale of the latter was made evident during and after the coup, when no insurgent cell made any attack of note against the military and the left was by and large caught unarmed and unprepared. Leftist insurgents only picked up in number after 1968.