Diplomacy and espionage in times of neutrality: the mission by Joaquim Xavier Curado in the Spanish settlements of the rio da Prata (1799)

a missão de Joaquim Xavier Curado nos povoamentos espanhóis do rio da Prata (1799)

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze the secret mission carried out by Lieutenant Colonel Joaquim Xavier Curado in the Spanish Viceroyalty of the rio da Prata, which took place in the year 1799. This operation concerns a sophisticated espionage initiative that involved several Portugueses administration levels in its organization and execution, connecting subordinate authorities and the high administrative level of Prince Dom João to the practice of espionage. In our study, we identified the direct action of the Prince Regent's office, which, through the use of an agent, sought access to privileged information about Spanish military facilities and forces. Furthermore, we observed that the operation itself showed a dubious stance by the Portuguese government: the mission that at the same time was spying, was inserted in the conjuncture of effective approximation between the Portuguese and Spanish government in an even greater layer of articulations and secrets that  aligned the Lisbon government with its Iberian neighbor while distancing it from its traditional English ally.