"SUMMARY: SEPARATIST ACTIVITY
IS CREATING TENSE CLIMATE ON MADEIRA. LISBON PRESS COVERAGE OF SITUATION IS
EXTENSIVE.
1. SEPARATIST ACTIVITY
CONTINUES ON MADEIRA. RECENTLY REPORTED INCIDENTS INCLUDE: -- CONFRONTATIONS
BETWEEN FAR LEFT AND SEPARATISTS: ON SEPTEMBER 4 AND 6 SEPARATIST-LED CROWD
CLASHED IN THE TOWN OF MACHICO WITH MEMBERS OF UNION OF MADEIRAN PEOPLE (UNIAO
DO POVO DA MADEIRA - UPM), A FAR LEFT GROUP ASSOCIATED WITH UDP. INCIDENT FOLLOWED REMOVAL BY
MADEIRAN CIVIL GOVERNOR OF PRESIDENT OF MACHICO CAMARA MUNCIPAL, A UPM
ADHERENT, WHO HAD SUBJECTED FIVE YOUTHS CAUGHT PAINTING PRO-SEPARATIST
PROPAGANDA TO TRIAL BY "POPULAR JUSTICE." CONFRONTATIONS, WERE
FINALLY BORKEN UP BY MILITARY POLICE USING TEAR GAS, LEFT SIX WOUNDED. --
MILITARY GOVERNOR ATTACKED: UPM RELEASED COMMUNIQUE SEPTEMBER 5 CRITICIZING
MILITARY GOVERNOR OF MADEIRA, BRIG. GEN. CARLOS AZEREDO, FOR HAVING ORDERED
RELEASE OF THE PERSONS ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF HAVING PLANTED BOMBS. AZEREDO,
LABELLED "SPINOLISTA" BY UPM, WAS ALSO ACCUSED OF HAVING TOLD
SEPTEMBER 2 ARMY AFM ASSEMBLY THAT, UNLESS POLITICAL CRISIS ON CONTINENT
RESOLVED TO SATISFACTION OF MADEIRAN SOCIO-ECONOMIC ELITE, ARCHIPELAGO WOULD
DECLARE INDEPENDENCE. -- MILITARY COMMAND'S EFFORTS TO HALT RASH OF SEPARATIST
BOMBINGS BY SENDING OUT SMALL PATROLS SPARKED BBC WEEKEND REPORT THAT COUP HAD
TAKEN PLACE. REPORTS WERE IMMEDIATELY DENIED BY COMMAND. -- ON PORTO SANTO,
SEPARATIST CROWD FORCED THE DEPARTURE FROM THE ISLAND OF CONTINENTAL
"PROGRESSIVE" TEACHER.
2. COMMENT: LISBON PRESS
COVERAGE OF SITUATION IN MADEIRA HAS BEEN EXTENSIVE, FAR HEAVIER, IN FACT, THAN
ITS TREATMENT OF DEVELOPMENTS IN AZORES. NEWSPAPER ARTICLES ON MADEIRAN
INDEPEND- ENCE APPEAR SEVERAL TIMES PER WEEK AND MAJOR NEWS MAGAZINE, SECULO
ILLUSTRADO PRODUCED FOUR PAGE FEATURE ON FLAMA FOR SEPTEMBER 9 ISSUE. COVERAGE
IS GENERALLY FACTUAL, WITH EMPHASIS ON ANALYSIS OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC ROOTS OF
SEPARATISM AND EDITIORIAL COMMENT DIRECTED TOWARD NEED FOR CENTRAL GOVERNMENT
ACTION TO NEUTRALIZE PROBLEM. CONSISTENTLY COMMUNIST-LINING PUBLICATIONS SUCH
AS "O SECULO," HOWEVER, OCCASIONALLY TIE USG TO SEPARATIST
ACTIVITIES.
3. CONTINUING VIOLENCE IN
MADEIRA AND RECURRING COUP REMORS ARE INDICATIONS OF TENSE CLIMATE PREVIALING
THERE AS RESULT OF RISE IN SEPARATIST ACTIVITY.
CARLUCCI
CONFIDENTIAL
