Evening star., 1961-01-25

was that Everything is fine
don't worry"
The transmisisons began at
midmorning and more than
$50 of them were heard within
an hour. They were sent in
Portuguese and in morse code.
The Portuguese frigate Pedro
EScobar put to sea and a
standby order went out to all
Portuguese naval commands in
the West African colony Of
Angola. the Azores, the Cape
Verde Islands and Mozambique
all areas controlled from
Lisbon.
The 20,906-ton liner was
seized Sunday by enemies of the
Salazar dictatorship in Portu-
gal. At the time the vessel was
between Venezuela and Florida,
on a course to set some Of its
600 passengers ashore at Port
Everglades. Fla. yesterday.
Some Sent Ashore
The Santa Maria, with Hen
rique Malta Galvao's hijackers
in. command, paused Monday
off st. Lucia, one Of the Wind
wards, and sent ashore eight
crewmen. including one wound
ed severely by gunshot in the
battle for the ship.
Messages from the Santa
Maria this morning, handled in
an exchange with an RCA
station at Chatham, Mass,
were "All well-don't worry"
assurances from passengers to
their homefolks.
An RCA spokesman said there
was an exchange Of messages
between the vessel from 4:30
to 500 am. today. A similar
exchange took place from $3.50
to 9:10 O'Clock last night. The
spokesman was asked IL RCA
could locate the vessel through
radio-direction finding equip
ment. He said it could not.
q At dawn the hunt moved
north. The Neptunes. long
range reconnaissance planes.
were under Instructions ID
determine the position, course
and speed Of the shin.
From the trim Inultilnillion-
dollar liner, the rebels broadcast
10 triumphant mission accom-
plished" to the master mind Of
the daring plot, Gen. Humberto
Delgado.
Gen. Delgado, who fled into
exile after he charged the Sal
azar regime robbed him Of the
presidency in the 1858 elec-
ton. disclosed at Sac Paulo,
Brazil. that the 10 men who
seized the Santa Maria were
acting on his orders as head Of
the National Independent
Junta Of Liberation.
The 54-year-old general ap-
pealed to the United States and
Britain to call off their pur-
suers.
Cites Political Aim
THE Santa Maria case does
not represent mutiny or piracy
but is an appropriation Of a
Portuguese transport by Portu-
guese men for Portuguese po-
litical purposes" he said in
kilograms to American Am
bassador John Moors Cabot
and British Ambassador Sir
Godfrey Wallinger in Rio de
Janeiro.
Portuguese Capt. Galvao
the swashbuckling soldier-play-
wright-politician who led the
band that captured the Santa
Maria, broadcast a warning
his men would resist any at
tempt to retake the ship.
I'VE will not surrender ir
any case" Capt Galvao pledged
in a message to Gen. Delgado
a.. We follow our secret
destination and salute youi
excellency, the chief Of state
elected by the people"
Capt. Galvao reported every.
thing normal among the 60(
passengers. who include al
least SO Americans. He sale
the crew Of 800 had accepted
the occupation as fait accompl
Ia fact acompliShed)." One
ships officer was killed anc
several wounded in the battle
that accompanied the seizure
of the ship.
The Santa Maria, with fue
for a 5,000-mile voyage ano
food for 20 days. was openly
seeking q port Of sanctuary ir
its cat-and-mouse race with
ships and planes trying to track
her down.