Brazilian Senate restores Juscelino Kubitschek letters

The Brazilian Senate has completed the restoration of five letters written by former President Juscelino Kubitschek to his personal driver and friend, Geraldo Ribeiro. The restored documents, consisting of 12 pages including four handwritten and one typed letter, were delivered to the Court of Justice of the Federal District and Territories (TJDFT) on Thursday.

Geraldo Ribeiro served as Kubitschek’s driver for 36 years, accompanying him during the relocation from Rio de Janeiro to Brasília. Ribeiro died alongside the former president in a car accident on the Presidente Dutra Highway in August 1976.

The restoration process, conducted over one month by the Senate’s Physical Collection Preservation Nucleus (NPreserva), utilized a principle of minimum intervention to maintain the original characteristics of the documents. Technical procedures included applying Japanese paper to stabilize the structure, repairing tears, performing grafts on fragile areas, and removing staples to prevent further degradation.