Intelligence Agency Is First Under Civilian

President Fernando Henrique Cardoso created Brazil’s first intelligence agency under civilian rule, replacing informal investigation networks left over from military rule with a network of agents similar to the FBI in the United States. The Brazilian Intelligence Agency will collect and analyze information to combat organized crime, officials said. It will be the first formal intelligence agency in Brazil since the feared National Information Service, which was the eyes and ears of the 1964-85 military dictatorship and kept tabs on the political opposition. A congressional panel of three senators and three deputies will oversee the agency though its officials will report to Gen. Alberto Cardoso, the president’s chief military aide and head of security, officials said.