MILITARY AND POLITICAL OPPOSITION TO PLAZA ADMINISTRATION.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R002100600001-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 4, 1999
• Sequence Number: 1
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 1999/09/08 : -RD,P _-00457R002100600001-5
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY' "` REPORT NO.
9 FOR ATION REPORT
COUNTRY
Ecuador
DATE DISTR.
SUBJECT
Vilitary and Political Opposition to Plaza
NO. OF PAGES
Acminis tration,
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REPORT SUPPLEMENT T
15 December 19L
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I,: There is increasing evidence of military and political opposition to the
Flaza administration in Ecuador, The military dissension stems from
various causes:
P-.,. Friction developed over the activities of Lto Colonel Eckundo Carvajal,
Commander of the Air Force, and Manuel Diaz Granados,, Minister of National
Defense, who submitted a bill to Congress authorizing base pay increases
for the Air Force and at the same time by-passed the General Staff of
the Armed Forces.
bo As a result of this action, Lt. Colonels Felix Vega Davila, Cesar Alfaro,
and (fnu) Nunez requested that they be placed on inactive status. Vega
Davila was responsible for the crisis in the Air Forces since he personally
urged General Jaramillo to stop the bill in Congress and to protest its
consideration to the President, In addition, Vega Davilavs recommendation
for promotion to a full Colonel was not approved by Congress, Alfaro,
Deputy Chief of Staff, has been bitterly opposed to Plaza and Diaz and
consequently supported Vega Davila's views., Nunez, a General Staff
officer, had been slated for inactive duty by Diaz for incompetency,
Neither Alfaro nor Nunez was a.:proved for promotion.,
c, A third grievance was given as the objection to retired officers being
placed on active status with a rank higher than those presently in the
Army.
2., After consulting with President Plaza, the Minister of National Defense
personally requested the three officers to withdraw their petitions and
assured them of their prcmotions in due course. He also advised them that
he had no intentions of recalling retired officers at this time,.
Both Plaza and Diaz are well aware of Alfaroas agitation and intriguing
against the government but they prefer to keep him in the Army rather than
to have hira become a martyr, They also felt that if the three officers were
allowed to resign, other officers would follow their lead, Plaza and Diaz
are also aware that the Special Investigation Board, presided over by Alfaro,
for the investigation of all funds handled by the Armed Forces, has been used
by Alfaro for political purposes, He hopes to remove Carvajal. from his com-
mand of the Air Force and replace hirr. with Lt. Colonel Bayardo Tobar or some
other officer who would support his anti-Plaza clique,
CLASSIFICATION 4;1a#M0r
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LXCISER B FORE PUBLIC RELEASE OF THIS DOCUMENT.
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CLASSIFICATION
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1 The political oppositionists are composed of two factions. The
most active group is in Guayaquil. It is headed by Carlos Guevara
n 2.repo, Jose Vecente Trujillo,, Antonio i'arra Velasco and iRafael
iendoza Aviles; on 1E ioverrber Guevara t'oreno personally contacted
eight Arty officers in Quito to discuss plans for a coup de tat,,
which, depending on circl!r.stances., he believed could be acco: pushed
not later than January 19L9,
The second group centers around Colonel Carlos ,ancheno, who is very
pro-Argentine. +Lancheno is aware of the activities of the ?roux in
Guayaquil but to date has indicated that he prefers to follow his own
organizational glans without involving outside politicians, His
follovring; is pri iarily within the Ax-.:;y and among retired officers
and soldiers, second in coi:x.and to : anctieno is : a jor SerrIo Policarpo
Giron, a Conu.unist officer presently attending the Cckix and and General
Staff School in Quito. Numerous closed meetinge of high ranking
officers were noted during the last week of Novembers 'Yost of this
group were ar::oiig those not approved for promotion during the last
session of Congress, General Albert.. Enriquez Gallo is also reported
to be working with Lancheno.
6,> Unconfirmed information also indicates that members of the Argentine
r-mbassy may be cooperating with the opposition groups. The Cultural
Attache of the &ibassy, Dr, Trabucci, recently held a confidential
conference with Lt. Colonel Cesar Alfaro and offered financial assis-
tance in ortranizinr a coup d'etat. Trabucci stated that Argentina
has already selected Plaza's successor, He added that ittwould not
be #r. Antonio iarra Velasco, who although friendly to Argentina, was
believed to be sligi'tly unbalanced? Trabucci implied that the Argentines
wor..id like to see the vice 'resident, Dr, ? anuel Sotomayor y Luna,
become President of Ecuador,
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Approved For Release 1999/09/08 : CIA-RDP82-00457R002100600001-5
Approved For Release 1999/09/08 : CIA-RDP82-00457R002100600001-5