ACTIVITIES OF MAJOR OSORIO'S PARTISANS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R002500290004-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 6, 1999
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: March 23, 1949
• Content Type: REPORT

VLAbbIt I(? U JUN rrt+Z tAU=A 25X1 A2
Sanitized - ApULFRft E P82-000
1NFOR RY cD No.
COUNTRY El Salvador
SUBJECT Activities of Major Osorio+a Partisans
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PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE OF INFO.
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DATE DISTR. 23 Lkr 1949
NO. OF PAGES 2
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~ ENCLS.
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
1. The leadership of the recently-formed political front in El Salvador which
was to have been headed by Col. Jose Arturo Castellanos and whose aim was
to work for the support of Major Oscar Osorio's regime, has recently passed
to Major Carransa Msya.* The apparent reason for the change in leadership
was Castellanos$ failure to win Major Osorio's approval of the activities of
the group.
2. The members of the political front had drawn up a list of ton men to interview
Osorio on the subject, fire of whom he refused to see. Castellanos then inter-
viewed him alone, and acceded to Osorlo's opinion that the front would have
to suspend activities as long as the government ban (issued by Osorio himself)
on political activities continued in effect. Osorio promised to work for a
repeal of the ban, but Castellanos nevertheless lost prestige in the eyes of
front members o
3n Osorio's reason, as stated to Castellsnoe, for disapproving the activities of
the front (which was designed to work in his own favor) wee to maintain the
present harmorOr of the governing junta, which might be instantly upset if
Osorio permitted partisan politico to flourish. Osorio insisted that the
junta would stick together until after the Constituent Assembly had met and
until the presidential elections.
4. The political front to favor Osorio was one of three current organs to promote
his support in El Sal-rador. The other two were the Partido Democrats
Progresista (PDP) and the Partido hevolueionsrio Selvadoreno (PRS), which
were eventually to merge in a coalition. It is observed that Major Osorio
has been inconsistent, in his treatment of the partisan groups supporting
him. While he reminded the political front that its, activities were still
illegal, he personally approved for publication and distribution a draft of
principles submitted to h i m b y the P1 ..
Door, rent No.
NO CHANGE In
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 Sanitized -Approved For Release : CIA-RDP82-00457ROO2500290004-3
C1 NT1;AL IVULLI'ENCE AQf CY
A member of the Osorio government, moreover, Mniater of the Interior,
Lt. Colo Jose Maria Lemus, personally authorized the continued publication
of El De , a pro-Array newspaper which carried attacks on Cabinet
member 1.gue1 Rafael Urquia, the Foreign Minister. The paper obviously
was of a political nature, and would therefore seemingly have come under
the ban on such periodicalso The Sub-Secretary of the Interior, Dr. MRrio
Hector Salazar, had tried to atop publication of the paper.
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Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP82-00457R002500290004-3