Parallel Diplomacy,Parallel War: The PIDE/DGS’s Dealings with Rhodesia and South Africa,1961–74

Abstract

PIDE/DGS, Portugal’s secret police during the New State (1932–74), had an important role to play in the country’s colonial wars, which lasted from 1961 to 1974. Using documentation circulated at meetings held regularly with the police forces and intelligence services of UDI Rhodesia and South Africa, this article attempts to reveal the scale, and the limitations, of PIDE/DGS’s ambitions in that conflict.