The origins of PIDE can be traced to 1933, the year of the inauguration of the Estado Novo. Under direct orders from Salazar himself, the PVDE (Polícia de Vigilância e de Defesa do Estado; “State Defence and Surveillance Police”) was created, with two main sections:

• Social and Political Defence section, which was used to prevent and repress crimes of a political and social nature (see: Censorship)
• International Section, which was used to control the entrance of immigrants, to expel undesirable immigrants and to take care of counter-espionage and/or international espionage

(SOURCE: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PIDE )

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