Amaury Kruel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Kruel, 1964 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister of War | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 14 September 1962 – 15 June 1963 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President | João Goulart | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Nélson de Melo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Jair Dantas Ribeiro | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 11 April 1901 Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 23 August 1996 (aged 95) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | MDB | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) | Cândida Cezimbra Kruel Maria Helena Kruel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Military School of Porto Alegre Military School of Realengo EME | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Military officer; politician | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Military service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance | Brazil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Branch/service | Brazilian Army | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years of service | 1916–1966 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank |  Marshal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Commands | List
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| Battles/wars | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Awards |  Military Order of Aviz (Grand Cross) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amaury Kruel (11 April 1901 – 23 August 1996) was a Brazilian military officer and politician who served as officer of the General Staff of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (FEB) in 1944–1945, head of the Federal Office of Public Security (DFSP) in 1957–1959 and Minister of War in 1962–1963. Despite initially supporting president João Goulart, Kruel later switched sides and was one of the main participants in the 1964 coup d'état at the head of the 2nd Army, from 1963 to 1966. He reached the rank of army general, being promoted to marshal when he retired. He was then a federal deputy for Guanabara from 1967 to 1971.
A friend of Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco since he was a teenager at the Military School of Porto Alegre, he participated in the 1930 Revolution and fought in the FEB as head of the 2nd Section (information) of its General Staff. He broke his friendship with Castelo Branco (also an officer of the General Staff) at the end of 1944 due to disagreements in the Battle of Monte Castello. In the early 1950s, he supported the right in the political dispute at the Military Club and in 1954 he contributed to the downfall of João Goulart, then Minister of Labor under Getúlio Vargas, but in the following year they became personal friends. From 1957 to 1959, he was put in charge of the police forces in the capital (Rio de Janeiro) through the DFSP by president Juscelino Kubitschek. His anti-crime measures led to the first iteration of what would be called the "Death Squad". He had some diplomatic assignments in his career, almost being an ambassador in 1961. Kruel also owned land and worked in the business sector.
In 1961, he supported Goulart's inauguration as president of Brazil in the Legality Campaign. Until 1963, as head of the Military Cabinet and the Ministry of War, he was the president's strong man in the Brazilian Army, setting up a military apparatus to prevent a coup and apply political pressure. He was a right-wing figure in the government and conflicts with the left led to his fall from office. In his next command, the 2nd Army, responsible for São Paulo and Mato Grosso, Kruel was already in contact with the conspirators against the president. Even so, after the outbreak of the coup in 1964, he offered his support to Goulart if the president broke with the left. With the refusal, Kruel sent troops to Brasília, Paraná and the Paraíba Valley. His conference with general Armando de Moraes Ancora in Resende marked the end of loyalist resistance in the 1st Army.
After the coup, Kruel was a pre-candidate in the indirect election won by Castelo Branco, representing a tendency towards the center, associated with the deposed government. He was responsible for political repression under his authority during the military dictatorship. He participated in the conspiracy of São Paulo governor Ademar de Barros with various disgruntled sectors, including the Communist Party, for a "countercoup" against Castelo Branco, but it was unsuccessful. Ademar was removed without resisting in 1966 and Kruel went into reserve when the government wanted to transfer him from command. In his last years in public life he was an opposition federal deputy.