It sounds like something out of Hollywood. Indeed, it was made into a Brazilian movie in 1997 with Alan Arkin (in his pre-Argo days). Charles Burke Elbrick, U.S. Ambassador to Brazil, was kidnapped and held for four days in September 1969. What made the incident so strange was that Fernando Gabeira, a member of the guerrilla group called the Revolutionary Movement 8th of October (MR8) and a key figure in Elbrickâ??s kidnapping, later wrote a book called O que é isso, companheiro? (â??Whatâ??s this, comrade?â?) in which he discusses the kidnapping and his armed resistance to the military dictatorship. Gabeira lived in exile for several years and was elected federal deputy for Rio in 1995. In a 2009 interview he said he was â??in errorâ? in kidnapping Elbrick; however, he is still not allowed a visa to travel to the U.S. The movie Four Days in September was nominated for several awards, including Best Foreign Language Film by the Academy Awards. In these excerpts, Elbrickâ??s widow Elvira discusses her husbandâ??s kidnapping and life after his release, as well as how she â??got evenâ? with Richard Nixon.
Burke Elbrick was born in 1908 in Louisville, Kentucky and joined the Foreign Service in 1931. His posts included Poland, Cuba, Portugal, Yugoslavia, and Brazil. He suffered severe medical complications from the beatings he endured while a hostage. He eventually died in 1983. Elvira was interviewed in 1986 by Jewell Fenzi as part of the Spouse Oral History Series. For one former hostageâ??s critical view of U.S. policy, see Mike Hoytâ??s piece.
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