This letter of denunciation to the PIDE (Aug. 1962) provides a good example of collaboration between the Estado Novo’s various policing entities. It was sent to the PIDE by a member of the Portuguese Legion (LP) to report on the activities of a local agent of ‘subversion’. In response, the PIDE instructed the local GNR to discreetly investigate the suspect, which it did. In turn the GNR confirmed to the PIDE that the accusations levelled against the suspect were well founded.
Smooth collaboration of this kind did not always prevail, however, as policing bodies frequently competed among each other. Also, much of the information gathered by the LP was sent to the Ministry of the Interior, which then transmitted it to the PIDE if necessary. In this particular case, the LP denouncer wrote directly to the PIDE, perhaps because he felt in some way personally threatened by the suspect. Note that he provides 3 witnesses in a bid to add weight to his denunciation.
A History of the PIDE 'from below' 