<SANITIZED> CURRENT STATUS OF MINISTER OF DEFENSE AND SALVADORAN ARMED FORCES

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06629893
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: August 28, 2018
• Case Number: F-2017-01411
• Publication Date: August 27, 1982

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82 9337746 ASP
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TOR: 272327Z AUG 82
IN 9337746
AUG 82 STAFF
CITE
TO: PRIORITY DIRECTOR.
WNINTEL INTELSUBJECT:
AND SALVADORAN ARMED FORCES
REF:
1.
URRENT STATUS OF MINISTER OF DEFENSE
2. AS REF INDICATES, THERE IS CONSIDERABLE OPPOSITION
WITHIN THE ARMED FORCES TO THE CONTINUED LEADERSHIP OF
GENERAL JOSE GUILLERMO ((GARCIA)), AND, TO A LESSER EXTENT,
TO COLONEL RAFAEL ((FLORES)) LIMA. OPPOSITION TO GARCIA
AND FLORES LIMA APPEARS TO COME FROM TWO DISTINCET MILITARY
CAMPS OR GROUPS, EACH GROUP IMPELLED BY DIVERGENT GRIEVANCES.
ONE MILITARY GROUP, INCLUDING COL. NICHOLAS ((CARRANZA)),
LTC. SIGFRIEDO ((OCHOA)) PEREZ, LTC. JOSE DOMINGO
((MONTERROSA)) AND OTHERS, ARE OPPOSED TO GARCIA'S
HIGH-PROFILE SUPPORT OF LAND REFORM PROGRAMS AND THE
IDENTIFICATION OF THE MILITARY INSTITUTION WITH REFORMS
ORIGINATED BY THE FORMER RULING JUNTA. MEMBERS OF
THIS OPPOSITION GROUP GENERALLY SUPPORT THE RIGHT-WING,
ANTI-REFORMIST VIEWS OF ARENA AND ROBERTO ((D'AUBUISSON)),
AND SOME, SUCH AS OCHOA, APPEAR CLOSELY TIED TO ARENA.
AT THE SAME TIME, THIS GROUP IS ADDITIONALLY OPPOSED TO
THE MANNER IN WHICH GARCIA AND FLORES LIMA HAVE PROSECUTED
THE WAR AGAINST THE INSURGENTS AND FEEL THAT THE WAR HAS
NOT BEEN WAGED FORECEFULLY ENOUGH, PARTLY BECAUSE GARCIA
AND FLORES LIMA HAVE OCCUPIED MUCH OF THEIR TIME WITH
INTERNAL SALVADORAN POLITICS.
3. A SECOND, SEPARATE, MILITARY OPPOSITION GROUP,
MORE DIFFICULT TO DEFINE, ARE NOT ARENA SUPPORTS BUT
DO BELIEVE THAT GARCIA AND FLORES LIMA ARE CONDUCTING
THE WAR INEFFECTIVELY. THIS GROUP, WHICH CONTAINS SOME
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JUNIOR OFFICERS, BELIEVES THAT GARCIA IS TOO FAR REMOVED
FROM FIELD COMMANDERS AND BATTLEFIELD REALITIES TO PROPERLY
COMMAND THE ARMED FORCES. IN MARKED CONTRAST TO THE FIRST
MILITARY OPPOSITION GROUP, SOME ELEMENTS OF THE
SECOND GROUP BLAME GARCIA FOR NOT BEING PROGRESSIVE ENOUGH.
4. BOTH GARCIA AND FLORES LIMA ARE CLEARLY WORRIED
ABOUT THE EXTENT OF MILITARY OPPOSITION TO THEIR CONTINUED
SERVICE, AND MOST OF THEIR CONCERN SEEMS TO BE PROMPTED
BY THE PRO-ARENA OFFICER GROUP. ADDITIONALLY, AS REF
INDICATES, GARCIA SEEMS DISPOSED TO RESIGN IF CONFRONTED
BY THIS GROUP, A SITUATION WHICH WOULD PROBABLY PROMPT
FLORES LIMA TO DO LIKEWISE. TO DATE, THE MILITARY OPPOSITION
HAS NOT STRONGLY CONFRONTED GARCIA AND MAY EVEN BE UNAWARE
OF HIS CURRENT FATALISTIC ATTITUDE.
5. WE EXPECT THAT THE RIGHT-WING OPPOSITION TO GARCIA
WITHIN THE MILITARY WILL CONTINUE AND PROBABLY INTENSIFY
AS ARENA REPRESENATATIVES ARE ACTIVELY ENCOURAGING SUCH
ACTIVITY AMONG THE OFFICER CORPS. WE ALSO NOTE THAT SOME
OF THE OPPOSITION LEADERS, NOTABLY COLONEL OCHOA, ENJOY
CONSIDERABLE PRESTIGE AMONG THE OFFICER CORPS AND AMONG
SALVADORANS IN GENERAL.
6. FOR THE NEAR TERM, THE POLITICAL VIEWS OF THE
ARMED FORCES LEADERSHIP ARE CRITICAL TO U.S. POLICY IN
EL SALVADOR. ONLY THE HIGH COMMAND MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR
CAMPESINOS TO RETURN TO THE LAND WHICH THEY HAD LEGALLY
ACQUIRED AND FROM WHICH THEY WERE EVICTED BY THE PREVIOUS
OWNERS WHEN AN ARENA VICTORY WAS PERCEIVED. FOR THE
PRESENT, ONLY CONTINUED PRESSURE FROM THE HIGH COMMAND WILL
PREVENT ARENA AND THE OLIGARCHY IT REPRESENTS FROM
REVERSING THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL REFORMS
7.
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