It became the custom to hold regular “picnics” in a wooded area near the beach. Later, these wooded areas became known as O Salão do Reino Verde (The Green Kingdom Hall). These occasions proved to be times of great spiritual refreshment. In May 1955 a special one-day “picnic” was arranged for the Cova de Vapor area. The brothers rented a ferryboat to take them across the Tagus River to the beach area. They soon discovered they had uninvited visitors. Two plainclothes policemen accompanied them all day long. A record 230 attended this “picnic.”

The following morning secret police agents visited the homes of some of the brothers. They were asked questions like these: What kind of organization do you belong to? Who are the speakers? Are not some of them foreigners? Is it true that you had a meeting yesterday at the beach? How often do you have these picnics? This was one of the first incidents that showed that the police were closely observing the Witnesses.

In 1956 the secret police, known as P.I.D.E. (Polícia Internacional e Defesa do Estado), appeared with greater frequency at the meetings. In July a friendly neighbor told missionary Mervyn Passlow that the police had him and his wife under surveillance. Shortly after this the couple were expelled from Portugal, even though the wife was a native-born citizen. Police interference also resulted in closing down two meeting places in Lisbon.

[Picture on page 169]

One of the “picnics” held for the purpose of spiritual refreshment