UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT BY SALVADORAN MILITARY PERSONNEL TO REPLACE THE MINISTER OF DEFENSE AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE HIGH COMMAND

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 15702884
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: March 8, 2023
• Document Release Date: August 8, 2019
• Case Number: F-2017-01057
• Publication Date: August 18, 1982

Approved for Release: 2019/08/07 C06629891
Document:CIAA -0000 305552 Subject: UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT BY SALVADORAN MILITARY
PERSONNEL TO REPLACE THE MINISTER OF DEFENSE
AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE HIGH COMMAND
:IAA 305552 MSP82-9269517
MIDB
D COMET 820818
CIA-305552C088 1
SEC ET
FRP: 2 4
MILITARY
UPID
8
82 9269517 MSP
PAGE 001
TOT: 181551Z AUG 82
CIA 305552
181551ZCIA 305552
TO: PRIORITY DIRNSA, DEPT OF STATE, DIA, TREASURY DEPT,
ZEN/WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOM, ZEN/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
STAFF, ZEN/CIA OFFICE OF CURRENT OPERATIONS,
USCINCSO QUARRY HTS PA.
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
WARNING: INFORMAT1QN REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE.
REPORT CLASSSEC ETWNINTEL
COUNTRY: EL SALVAD R
SUBJECT: UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT BY SALVADORAN MILITARY
PERSONNEL TO REPLACE THE MINISTER OF DEFENSE
AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE HIGH COMMAND
SUMMARY. ON 2 AUGUST 1982, SALVADORAN MILITARY OFFICERS
UNSUCCESSFULLY ATTEMPTED TO REPLACE MINISTER OF DEFENSE,
JOSE GUILLERMO ((GARCIA)) AND OTHER OFFICERS OF THE HIGH
COMMAND. GARCIA BECAME AWARE OF THIS EFFORT, CONFRONTED
SOME OF THE LEADERS AND PROMPTLY DEFUSED THE ATTEMPT. THE
LEADERSHIP OF THE GROUP INCLUDED ROBERTO D'AUBUISSON,
COLONESL JOSE DOMINGO ((MONTERROSA)) BARRIOS AND NICOLAS
((CARRANZA)), LIEUTENANT COLONELS SIGFRIEDO ((OCHOA)) AND
MIGUEL ANTONIO ((MENDEZ)). SOME OF THESE LEADERS ASKED
LIEUTENANT COLONEL JULIO AGUSTIN ((TRUJILO)) IN LATE JULY
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CL BY:
CL REASON:
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TO HELP LEAD A MOVE AGAINST GARCIA AND OTHER OFFICERS OF THE
HIGH COMMAND BUT TRUJILLO REFUSED. END SUMMARY.
1. DURING THE EVENING OF 2 AUGUST 1982, A SMALL GROUP OF
RETIRED AND ACTIVE DUTY SALVADORAN MILITARY OFFICERS AND AN
UNSPECIFIED NUMBER OF SOLDIERS FROM SEVERAL MILITARY UNITS
UNSUCCESSFULLY ATTEMPTED TO IMPLEMENT A PLAN TO REPLACE
MINISTER OF DEFENSE, JOSE GUILLERMO ((GARCIA)) AND OTHER
OFFICERS OF THE HIGH COMMAND, INCLUDING COLONEL RAFAEL ((FLORES))
LIMA, CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES GENERAL STAFF, AND
GENERAL CARLOS ((VIDES)) CASANOVA, CHIEF OF THE NATIONAL GUARD.
PERSONNEL FROM THE ATLACATL BATTALION WERE TO LEAD AN ATTEMPT
TO CAPTURE GARCIA AND TO FORCE HIM TO RESIGN.
2. THE GROUP'S INTENTIONS WERE DISCOVERED BY GENERAL GARCIA
WHO PROMPTLY CONFRONTED SOME OF THE LEADERS .INCLUDING
COLONEL JOSE DOMINGO ((MONTERROSA)) BARRIOS, COMMANDER OF THE
ATLACATL BATTALION. GARCIA WARNED THE OFFICERS AGAINST CONTINUING
THEIR ACTIVITY AND MADE THE POINT THAT THE SALVADORAN SECURITY
FORCES (THE NATIONAL GUARD, NATIONAL POLICE AND TREASURY POLICE)
SUPPORT HIM AND HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO SUCCESSFULLY COUNTER ANY MOVE
BY THE GROUP. AS A RESULT, MONTERROSA AND THE OTHER LEADERS
DECIDED AGAINST ANY FURTHER EFFORTS AGAINST GARCIA AND THE
HIGH COMMAND FOR THE PRESENT TIME.
3. OTHER LEADERS OF THE MOVEMENT INCLUDED ROBERTO
((D'AUBUISSON)), PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY;
COLONEL NICOLAS ((CARRANZA)), PRESIDENT OF THE STATE
TELECOMMUNICATIONS AGENCY; LIEUTENANT COLONEL SIGFRIEDO ((OCHOA))
PEREZ, COMMANDER OF CABANAS DEPARTMENT; LIEUTENANT COLONEL
MIGUEL ANTONIO ((MENDEZ)), COMMANDER OF THE RAMON BELLOSO
BATTALION; CAPTAIN FNU ((RENDON)) YUDICE AND CAPTAIN FNU
((AZMITIA)). THE TROOPS INVOLVED WERE FROM THE RAMON BELLOSO,
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ATLACATL AND ATONAL BATTALIONS, THE CAVALRY REGIMENT AND OTHER
UNIDENTIFIED UNITS. A MAJORITY OF THE
MILITARY OBJECT TO THE LEADERSHIP UNDER GARCIA AND WOULD LIKE
TO SEE HIM REPLACED.)
4. THE PARTICIPANTS IN THIS EFFORT STRONGLY DISAGREE WITH
HOW GARCIA AND THE MILITARY HIGH COMMAND ARE CONDUCTING THE WAR.
THEY ACCUSE GARCIA OF NOT MAKING A CONCERTED EFFORT TO DEFEAT THE
INSURGENTS. IN THEIR OPINION, MORALE THROUGHOUT THE ARMY IS
PRESENTLY AT ITS LOWEST EVER. AFTER THE 2 AUGUST ATTEMPT,
NATIONAL GUARD MAJOR LOPEZ ((MARAVER)) COMMENTED THAT HE WOULD
ACTIVELY SUPPORT ANY FUTURE ACTIONS TO REPLACE GARCIA AND THE
MILITARY LEADERSHIP.
5. DURING A LATE JULY 1982 MEETING IN SAN SALVADOR,
D'AUBUISSON, MONTERROSA, OCHOA AND MAJOR DENIS ((MORAN)),
A SALVADORAN MILITARY ATTACHE IN CHIE, ASKED LIEUTENANT COLONEL
JULIO AGUSTIN ((TRUJILLO)), WHO IS PRESENTLY ASSIGNED TO
ARGENTINA AS A MILITARY ATTACHE, TO HELP LEAD AN EFFORT TO
REPLACE GARCIA, VIDES CASANOVA AND FLORES LIMA. TRUJILLO
SAID HE WAS NOT INTERESTED AND SUGGESTED THAT D'AUBUISSON
USE HIS POSITION IN THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY TO SEEK GARCIA'S
REMOVAL.
6. IN A SEPARATE, PRIVATE MEETING, D'AUBUISSON PERSONALLY
ASKED TRUJILLO TO LEAD A MOVEMENT AGAINST GARCIA BECAUSE
HE BELIEVED THAT GARCIA WAS NOT SINCERE IN TRYING TO DEFEAT THE
INSURGENTS. TRUJILLO AGAIN REFUSED.
7. WHILE THERE EXISTS SOME DISSENSION
WITHIN THE RANKS OF THE SALVADORAN ARMED FORCES AND
DISSATISFACTION AMONG SOME OFFICERS AND SOLDIERS TOWARDS THE
HIGH COMMAND, PARTICULARLY GARCIA, THE ELEMENT WHICH WOULD TAKE
AN ACTIVE ROLE IN SUCH A MOVEMENT IS RELATIVELY SMALL. GARCIA
STILL MAINTAINS SUBSTANTIAL SUPPORT WITHIN THE ARMY AND
SECURITY SERVICES. HOWEVER, DISSATISFACTION SEEMS TO BE
INCREASING, IN WHICH CASE IT COULD EVENTUALLY PROVOKE A MORE
FORCEFUL MOVE AGAINST GARCIA AND POSSIBLY FLORES LIMA.)
REPORT CLASSSECRET- WARNING NOTICE
DISSEMINATION AND
EXTRACTION OF INFORMATION CONTROLLED BY ORIGINATOR.DECL:
OFFICER.
ALL PORTIONS CARRY CLASSIFICATION AND CONTROLS OF OVERALL DOCUMENT.
RECORDED REPORTING
SECRET
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