How a crew of 23 'disappeared' off the Mozambique coast in a false flag operation by Gladio - Aginter

 

THE TRUE PURPOSES OF OPERATION ANGOCHE

 

1. THE STRATEGIC CARD TOWARDS THE ‘MODERATE’ WEST: A) THE 'DEFENSE OF THE CAPE ROUTE' AND THE AFRICAN 'SUB-CONTINENT' AND B) REEQUIPMENT OF PORTUGUESE FORCES

2. THE REGIONAL CARD: ATTEMPTING TO COUNTER THE BRITISH BLOCKADE OF RHODESIA AT THE PORT OF BEIRA

3. THE LOGISTICS CARD: TO RE-EQUIP THE PORTUGUESE AND SOUTH AFRICAN NAVIES FORCE

4. DEMONIZE THE NATURAL ENEMIES: CHINA, URSS, TANZANIA AND FRELIMO

 

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1.      THE STRATEGIC CARD TOWARDS THE WEST: A) THE 'DEFENSE OF THE CAPE ROUTE' AND THE AFRICAN 'SUB-CONTINENT' AND B) REEQUIPMENT OF PORTUGUESE FORCES

 

Angoche appears as an act to raise awareness of what is happening in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Mozambique, between Portuguese territory and Madagascar: it is the psychological card in defense of the Cape Route, the jugular where oil still flows, since the Suez Canal is now threatened by instability in the Middle East. Since the Six Day War in 1967, Suez has been closed and will only reopen in 1975.

 

Bear in mind the weight that this represents for South African, European and North American strategic interests, too. It even plays on the ‘feeling of guilt’ that will fall on Americans if they stand idly by.

 

This is exactly what the lobby in Washington is going to shoot. Piracy and sabotage cannot be tolerated on this increasingly strategic route. And also, to create sympathies for the defense of the Portuguese position so poorly treated in international forums and with difficulty in purchasing weapons.

 

What can we do to raise awareness and encourage lobbies sympathetic to the defense of this 'white Africa' in danger of extinction? But where is the piracy and sabotage? If it doesn't exist, it must be created. Demonizing the enemies of the moment to the maximum: China, Russia, Tanzania and the Frelimo guerrillas.

 

The attack on cargo-ship Angoche served this purpose perfectly. Bring together sympathies for an increasingly isolated Portugal. But, mainly, to convince sectors that are still hesitant in the West to commit themselves logistically to the defense of the Cape Route and the countries of the ALCORA alliance - Portugal, South Africa and Rhodesia - and facilitate their respective military re-equipment.

 

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2.      THE REGIONAL CARD: ATTEMPTING TO COUNTER THE BRITISH BLOCKADE OF RHODESIA AT THE PORT OF BEIRA

 

Angoche becomes a pretext to challenge London - its fleet should be defending the Cape route and the African coasts against piracy instead of blocking the port of Beira.

Not conflicting with what was said above and giving substance to a (mis)informative narrative that filled these days in such a wisely orchestrated campaign, let us note once again what is at stake: as a strategic objective the 'defense of the Mozambique Channel', equally that of the ' Cape Route', but, also, at a regional level, a move against the blockade and sanctions on Rhodesia – a topic so dear to… Jorge Jardim, precisely, and to his defense of Salisbury's interests.

 

What is said on so many pages of a press collection collected by PIDE and without much concern for properly identifying the sources (just 'an Angolan announcer', although the omission may come from the British broadcaster), in Vol. 2, page 112 of the Process PIDE SC C1 (2) 17296 – ANTT (Torre do Tombo), in a text that is a transcription of a BBC article, is exactly that, an apology for lifting the blockade on Rhodesia and strengthening the instance in favor of the advantage of better patrol services by the UK and US naval powers in the area: 'It has already been mentioned by an Angolan announcer that if the British destroyers in the Mozambique Channel had not been absorbed by the task of stopping all ships carrying oil for Rhodesia off the coast of Mozambique, perhaps they would have been able to prevent the attack on Angoche'.

In short, engage the Western powers too in the strategic objective, the defense of the ALCORA countries, South Africa, Rhodesia and Portugal.

 

Rhodesia is evidently another of Jorge Jardim's ‘passions’. Member of ALCORA, that ‘white alliance’. It has also been a pariah state since the UDI or DUI, the ‘unilateral declaration of independence’, without an accord with the colonizing power, the United Kingdom, on November 11, 1965.

 

As a consequence, it faces boycotts and sanctions that Portugal should also comply with in their application, especially in the area of ​​weapons and petroleum products. In theory, as a member state of the United Nations, Portugal should be obliged to such application. In practice, what we see is very different.

 

If the fortune of Manoel Boullosa (Sonap, Sonarep, Bertrand, etc., etc.) also grew partly thanks to the lifting of sanctions against Israel, with the Galician businessman managing to supply oil in large quantities to the Jewish state, in Mozambique it would be Jorge Jardim who came to in aid of Ian Smith of Rhodesia. Jorge Jardim would publish at the time the book ‘Rhodesia, the sanctions scandal’ in this regard. He was willing to bridge the gap in the supply of fuel and other raw materials, and weapons, and his contacts are also not to be overlooked. South Africa and its ports also help, of course, but Rhodesia's ‘natural’ port was Beira, a few hundred kilometers from the border. But then the British fleet hovers nearby, establishing a blockade and sometimes even threatening a confrontation with the Portuguese forces.

 

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3.      THE LOGISTICS CARD: TO RE-EQUIP THE PORTUGUESE AND SOUTH AFRICAN NAVIES FORCE

 

Favoring Portugal in this effort to advance the construction of such facilities.

When the 'Angoche' occurs, Pieter Botha from South Africa stands up: 'I warned you before!' And then adds Pieter W. Botha, at the time not yet South African Prime Minister, but Minister of Defense under John Vorster:

 

‘(…) Such is the type of threat to the Cape Route that I had already warned about. It is to protect it against this type of attacks that we want modern equipment for our Navy to ensure that the Cape Route is fully protected’. (...) 'South Africa does not have an insatiable appetite for weapons, it merely intends to defend its own freedom and be in a position to maintain its place on the most important maritime route in the World'. ‘Botha - explains the Durban newspaper ‘Mercury’, from which the statements are taken – already last year he had predicted that terrorism would not be confined to operations on land’.

 

The Minister of Defence, P.W. Botha, preferred the ships to be bought from Portugal, as it would support a politically and economically weak Portugal financially. Portugal and South Africa shared mutual interest in the sub-continent within the Cold War paradigm and as Angola and Mozambique were still Portuguese colonies, South Africa saw Portugal as an ally in Africa.

 

From the SA Navy’s point of view the number of vessels were important and they emphasized that at least six patrol vessels must be acquired. If six vessels were available, at best two out of three vessels could be patrolling the East and West Coasts of South Africa at anyone time’.

http://www.ajol.info/index.php/smsajms/article/download/81114/71336

 

In the following weeks, the ‘Angoche’ will also be brandished in Portugal as a determining factor in the re-equipment of the Navy. It happened in a parliamentary session, in the voice of Admiral Reboredo e Silva:

The serious incident that occurred with the Angoche demonstrates to all conscientious men in this maritime country par excellence the imperative need to have a Navy that corresponds to at least national responsibilities, and these are enormous in themselves at the present stage, but they are to an even greater extent, because we also have international responsibilities, from which we should not escape.

 

We hope that the available means will allow the measures that will have to be taken, to be implemented averagely, as terrorism at sea appears to have begun, and the Minister of Defense of the Republic of South Africa has already publicly referred to this. And as for merchant ships, at present, it will not be easy to differentiate between terrorism and piracy.

 

At this moment I consider it opportune to declare my satisfaction, and from here congratulate the Government for the promulgation of Decree-Law No. 204/71, of May 14th, granting the credit deemed necessary for the construction of four João Coutinho type corvettes, with and more up-to-date and powerful equipment.

 

I know that the Treasury is burdened with heavy military burdens, but, in my opinion, this decision is just a step towards solving the problem. Furthermore, I always hoped that this new series would be made up of six and not four ships, as, in fact, I had the opportunity to declare here. These are very economical oceanic units with sufficient military value to satisfy our tasks and missions, particularly overseas.

 

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4.      DEMONIZE THE TRADITIONAL ENEMIES: CHINA, USSR, TANZANIA AND FRELIMO

 In terms of psychological warfare the operation 

1) congregates fears and feelings against the traditional enemies of Portugal, Rhodesia and South Africa, 

2) tries to bring the Western powers in support of these territories, 

3) internally, reinforce attitudes and feelings to neutralize movements and any sympathies against those enemies – China the Yellow danger, USSR – the Reds, and Tanzania (and Zambia) for harboring the Frelimo ‘terrorists’ – the African movement fighting the Portuguese government in Mozambique.

And, in mainland Portugal, attempts are being made to link Angoche to the ARA – the armed wing, in a sense, of the PCP. Although spectacular, the ARA's actions sought to avoid causing human damage.

THE MEANS

Operation Angoche is launched with local operational assets and, likely, South African naval assets, air assets available to unconventional forces such as the SEII – Special Intelligence and Intervention Services, elements of the PIDE (Personal Intelligence and Intervention Police), and operatives operating under the Aginter-Press umbrella, such as Casimiro Monteiro and Orlando Cristina, all of whom fall under the umbrella of engineer Jorge Jardim.

Aginter-Press, as explained in the pages of this book, is the Portuguese branch of something broader, the pan-European Operation Gládio, a generic term, overseen by NATO and the CIA. And which runs parallel to 'Operation Condor' in Latin America. But that's a topic for other writings.

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Today, we can say, the enigma, the 'mystery,' has come to an end.

It pains me to say it, but 'Angoche' was an inside operation, a 'false flag' operation, as they say today.

And no, these are not 'conspiracy theories.'

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Who in Portugal planned, executed, and concealed responsibility for the terrorist attack on the Angoche ship off the coast of Mozambique in 1971? A chronicle of an investigation. This book unravels the enigma.

Other mysteries swirl in contemporary Portugal alongside the 'Angoche case':

AGINTER-PRESS - the 'other PIDE' - the Portuguese spy and mercenary agency of Operation Gladio, a 'daughter' of NATO and the CIA

The enigmatic Mr. HERBERT LESTER - secret agent and advisor to Salazar

JORGE JARDIM's network - the 'Lawrence of Africa'

'Count of Pavullo' - the ZOIO patriarch - and a Portuguese web of 'merchants of death'

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Mozambique, April 23, 1971, Friday night... The Portuguese ship Angoche is attacked and set on fire. By whom? The occupants, 23 crew members and one passenger, have all disappeared. The Angoche is deserted.

Two days later, on Sunday afternoon, April 25, 1971, a Portuguese woman from a brothel was 'suicided,' thrown from the 5th floor of a building in the city of Beira, the 'Miramortos.' Could a mystery connect the two cases?

None of the Angoche men, alive or dead, nor any remains, ever appeared. An X-files, a veritable Portuguese 'secret archives.' 

We know who they are and are now pointing out those responsible.

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This book is now in its second edition.