Carlos Albino

A journalist on República, he was one of the producers and writers of “Limite”, an independent programme that Rádio Renascença broadcast nationwide. He had done his military service at the Army Psychotechnical Studies Centre, where he had become friends with Carlos Fabião. On 22 March 1974 he learnt that the Movement would need a signal by radio, with national coverage, to set the barracks in motion, and he guaranteed that it would go out on “Limite”.¹

On 23 April, Álvaro Guerra, also a journalist on República and the link to Lieutenant Commander Almada Contreiras, asked him for “Venham Mais Cinco”, by José Afonso. Carlos Albino replied that the song was banned by Renascença’s internal censorship, although the official censorship tolerated it, and suggested alternatives — first among them, “Grândola, Vila Morena”.²⁵ The next day, Guerra brought the final choice: “Grândola”. Albino arranged the broadcast without anyone else on “Limite” knowing of the decision, and as a precaution he bought the record Cantigas do Maio: since December there had been signs that the PIDE was preparing a raid on the programme’s offices, in Praça de Alvalade.³⁷

He then called in Manuel Tomás, the technical and sound manager of “Limite” and the man he trusted most. To get round both censorships — Renascença’s and the official one, a colonel who monitored the broadcasts live and approved the scripts — they agreed the details of the signal kneeling in São João de Brito Church, pretending to pray.⁴ Carlos Albino also wrote two texts for the censor to approve, meant to “wrap around” the signal, which Leite de Vasconcelos recorded without knowing what they were for. At 00:20 on 25 April, the first verse of “Grândola” went on air.⁶