Date of tip: June 2005

Updated: July 2010

Source: Tanya Harmer t.harmer@lse.ac.uk             

Location: Esplanada dos Ministérios – Itamaraty, Bloco H, Anexo II, 3° andar, Brasilia 70170-900 (This is the last of the ministries on the right as you are looking fown the Esplanda towards the Congress).

How to get there: You can reach the archives by foot from either Hotel Sector (approx 30 mins). Although Brasilia is NOT a pedestrian friendly city I found this easiest. Alternatively there are buses that travel from the main bus terminal just by the Hotel Sectors or taxis that are inexpensive and run on a meter. Please note that the archives themselves are housed on various floors of the circular Foreign Ministry building behind the 2 main ones on the Esplanda. (one of which is known as the Itamaraty Palace). The building you want can be accessed by walking through the car park and down the stairs at the back of the main yellow building. The building is called ‘bolo de noiva’ meaning ‘wedding cake’ because of its shape. Most locals recognize the name.

Language: Portuguese.  

Getting started: You will need to fill out a ‘Formulário de Pesquisa de Documentos’ (Research Form) for external research before you visit the archives which is attached below. This should be sent to the Centre for Documentation at the Archive well ahead of your visit. You can scan and e-mail the document (cdo@mre.gov.uk or Maria Cristina dos Santos (mcsantos@mre.gov.br) who works at the Centre for Documentation) Alternatively, you can fax it (+55 (61) 411 6515/6151) or post it to the Centro de Documentação – CDO (at the address above).

Opening Hours: 9am-5pm (Monday-Friday) 

General working conditions: If you have already submitted you Research Form, some of the documents you ordered (depending on how many you ordered overall) should be available for you on a desk in a large reading room in the basement of the building. It is a very relaxed atmosphere with very little surveillance and you are also free to help yourself to good coffee (and drink it at your desk while consulting documents) throughout the day. You can also have your belongings with you at your desk. The microfilm reading room is on the 3^rd floor but you have to be accompanied to use it as this the same place where all microfilms appear to be housed. There is free printing from the microfilm machines.

Consultation: There didn’t seem to be any limit on the number of files that can be consulted at once (other than a sensible one as to how many can fit on one or two desks!) and you are able to hold on to all the files you need over as many days as you like. Once in the archives, the ordering process of documents already on you Research Form is very informal and should be discussed with the archivist. If you wish to consult the microfilm collections the process is a little more formal and you will have to wait until there is someone who can accompany you upstairs and who has time to sit with you while you search for the documents you are looking for. Therefore, it is wise to plan this a day in advance. You will have to fill in a Research Form for anything you wish to consult and if this is secret or confidential it will take at least 2 weeks to process.

Policy on technology: Laptops and scanners are allowed. The archives will also store your scanner in a locked cupboard overnight.

Photocopy policy: Photocopying is permitted and free for researchers. Photocopies are limited to 30 copies per day that you are at the archive. You are allowed to take photographs of microfilm material (they prefer that to printing) and of non-classified documents. You will need to request photocopies if working with classified documents. 

Particularities: The people at the archives are incredibly friendly and welcoming and there are a number of students who work in the historical division downstairs who were very helpful in pointing me in the right direction in Brasilia. On the 2^nd Floor there is a very good and remarkably cheap restaurant where you can order from a menu. The food is fresh and the service is fast. Outside the ministry there is not much in the way of alternative places to eat unless you decide to visit one of the other Ministries along the Esplanda do Ministérios where I understand they have equally good restaurants. Despite these positive selling points, the staff are not very prompt at returning e-mails and in a typical relaxed atmosphere, the archives are likely to close early on a Friday if the staff feel like it is time to go home.  

How to apply for classified files: The situation appears to be that there was a change of law regarding declassification in 2002. In theory confidential records can be released after 20 years and secret documents after 30. However, all researchers have to make a special request to see them and higher 'authorities' within the Ministry then have the right to block requests or grant access. In the event that they block access, the worst-case scenario is that they can automatically double the amount of time the documents are classified for (ie. Secret: 60 years). The process takes at least 2 weeks and there are no guarantees that you will be granted access.

To apply to see these documents you will need to be explicit in what you ask for and highlight that you wish to consult ‘secret’ or ‘confidential’ files on you research request form. I would recommend also writing to Eduardo Pereira Ferreira to ask for an update on the situation before your visit.

Contact name in case of questions regarding classified files: Señor Eduardo Pereira E Ferreira: (epferreira@mre.gov.br), Tel: +55 (61) 411 6966/6965 Fax: +55 (61) 411 6515/6151

Etc: Brasilia is a difficult city to navigate without knowing anyone or without a car and is particularly awkward due to the way the city is planned. Therefore, it is difficult to stumble on a nice restaurant or bar! These tend to be outside the hotel sector in the ‘restaurant sector’ or in the residential areas further away from the centre. For food in the centre, you can find a huge array of cheap and cheerful cuisine at one of the various food halls in the malls dotted around Brasilia but I recommend you try to venture further afield! While at the archive, enquire about a guided tour through the Ministry. They have tours several times a day, except for days when official business is being conducted.

Places to Stay: It is difficult to find cheap and friendly accommodation in Brasilia, as it is not really a tourist destination. I failed to find a friendly hostel and you are likely to end up in either the Northern or Southern Hotel Districts. Both are in walking distance from the Archives but the Southern district is nearer. Unfortunately I stayed in the north where I found a decent and moderately priced hotel: Aristus Hotel (Tel: +55 (61) 326 2010, Fax: +55 (61) 326 2010). A very good hotel in the Southern District is St. Paul Plaza Hotel. It’s less than 5 minutes by taxi to the archives, or 30 minutes walking down one main avenue. You can enquire about airport pick up and drop off when booking with the hotel as well.