STATE OF ALERT OF MILITARY FORCES IN SAN VICENTE DEPARTMENT

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06760262
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: March 9, 2023
• Document Release Date: April 27, 2021
• Case Number: F-2017-00184
• Publication Date: October 10, 1983

Approved for Release: 2021/04/27 C06760262
CIA-IUG
/NOFORN
Classified By: Unspecified
Derived From: Unspecified
Declassify On: MR, 20081010
(Si/NC/CIA-1W /NF)-NO TITLE AVAILABLE
Identifiers:
Dates:
Date Published: 10-Oct-1983 17:15:00
Date Received: 10-Oct-1983 21:15:00
Coverage:
Region: COUNTRY: EL SALVADOR SUBJECC: STATE OF ALERT OF MILITARY FORCES IN
SAN VICENTE DEPARTMENT
Publisher:
#1
Agency Acronym: CIA
Office Name: CIA
#2
Agency Acronym: CIA
Office Name: NCS
Attachments:
Warnings: (0// /CIA IUO, NF) WARNING: INFOR ATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY
EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE. REPORT CLASS S R E T--
DIST: 10 OCTOBER 193 COUNTRY: EL SALVADOR SUBJECC:
STATE OF ALERT OF MILITARY FORCES IN SAN VICENTE DEPARTMENT Doi. 1 OCTnRFR
1983 SOURCE.
(qHmeiriA_Ii Ifl NF SERIAL:
PASS: NSA FOR ZKZK 00 DLS DE (FOR NSOC); STATE FOR INR AND
SY/TAG; SECRET SERVICE FOR ID;
USCINCSO FOR J-2.
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
WARNING: INFORMATI N REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE.
REPORT CLASS S R E T vvNINTEL- NOFORN
DIST: 10 OCTOBER 1983
COUNTRY: EL SALVADOR
SE ET/
/NOFORN
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SECRET/ CIA-IUC NOFORN (b)(1)3)
SUBJECC: STATE OF ALERT OF MILITARY FORCES IN SAN VICENTE (b)(3)
DEPARTMENT
DOI: 1 OCTOBER 1983
SOURCE:
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
TEXT: 1. ON 1 OCTOBER 1983, GOVERNMENT OF EL SALVADOR MILITARY
FORCES IN SAN VICENTE DEPARTMENT INCREASED THEIR STATE OF ALERT
AMID REPORTS OF POSSIBLE INSURGENT ATTACKS AGAINST KEY CITIES
AND INSTALLATIONS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT. IT IS BELIEVED THAT AN
INSURGENT FORCE OF 1000 COMBATANTS IS CONCENTRATING IN SEVERAL
CAMPS AT THE BASE OF THE CHINCHONTEPEC VOLCANO (1837N 8852W),
10 KILOMETERS SOUTH OF THE CITY OF SAN VICENTE. MILITARY
COMMANDERS BELIEVE THAT THE INSURGENTS INTEND TO ATTACK
SIMULTANEOUSLY AND CAPTURE THE CITIES OF SAN VICENTE (1338N 8847W)
AND TECOLUCA (1333N 8847W) AND DESTROY THE CUSCATLAN BRIDGE (1336N
8834W) OVER THE RIO LEMPA. COMMENT: CAPTURING THE CITIES (b)(1)
OF SAN VICENTE AND TECOLUCA WOULD ISOLATE A KEY SECTION OF NORTH- (b)(3)
SOUTH HIGHWAY OVER WHICH MUCH OF THE DEPARTMENTS' COMMERCE TRAVELS.
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE CUSCATLAN BRIDGE WOULD INFLICT SERIOUS HARM
TO A MAJOR EAST-WEST TRANSPORTATION ROUTE AS WELL AS RESULT IN A
.SEVERE PSYCHOLOGICAL BLOW TO THE ARMED FORCES. ANY MAJOR ATTACK
IN SAN VICENTE DEPARTMENT WOULD BE A PROPAGANDA VICTORY FOR INSURGENT
FORCES WHO ARE ATTEMPTING TO DISCREDIT THE GOVERNMENT'S NATIONAL
CAMPAIGN.)
1. IN AN ATTEMPT TO COUNTER AN ATTACK AGAINST THE TWO
CITIES AND THE BRIDGE, MILITARY COMMANDERS HAVE POSITIONED TROOPS
FROM THE TEHUACAN BATTALION AROUND THE PERIMETER OF SAN VICENTE,
RELOCATED ARTILLERY BATTERIES AND MORTAR SQUADS IN SAN VICENTE TO
COVER LIKELY AVENUES OF APPROACH AND STATIONED TWO COMPANIES OF
INFANTRY FROM THE THIRD BRIGADE AT THE CUSCATLAN BRIDGE TO SECURE
IT AND THE ADJACENT HYDROELECTRIC DAM. ADDITIONALLY, 1000
GOVERNMENT SOLDIERS, INCLUDING THE BELLOSO BATTALION, ARE LOCATED
IN AMBUSH POSITIONS ALONG THE HIGHWAY FROM SAN VICENTE TO TECOLUCA.
SECURITY IS ALSO BEING PROVIDED AT THE FERROCARRIL DE EL SALVADOR
(FENADESAL) RAILROAD BRIDGE (1326N 8843W) BY 300 SOLDIERS FROM THE
JIBOA BATTALION IN SAN VICENTE DEPARTMENT. COMMENT: THE (b)(1)
MILITARY IS CONFIDENT THAT IT CAN REPEL AN ATTACK AGAINST SAN VICENTE (b)(3)
OR TECOLUCA BUT IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE CUSCATLAN BRIDGE. 300
SOLDIERS ARE ALL THAT COMPRISE THE TWO INFANTRY COMPANIES SECURING
THE BRIDGE AND DAM AND THIS WOULD NOT BE SUFFICIENT FORCE TO STOP
A CONCERTED INSURGENT EFFORT TO DESTROY THE BRIDGE. THERE IS
LITTLE CONCERN FOR THE HYDROELECTRIC DAM BECAUSE INSURGENTS WOULD
REQUIRE TREMENDOUS AMOUNTS OF EXPLOSIVES TO DO EVEN MINOR DAMAGE.
IN LIGHT OF THE INCREASED GOVERNMENT PREPAREDNESS, THE GUERRILLAS
MAY HAVE TEMPORARII Y SUSPFNDFD THFIR PI ANNFII ATTACKS
3. COMMENT:
IN REALITY, RELATIVELY SMALL CHARGES OF EXPLOSIVES PLACED TO
. DESTROY THE GENERATOR TURBINES WOULD EFFECTIVELY TAKE THE PLANT
OFF LINE FOR MANY MONTHS 1
SECRET
CIA-IU0/
NOFORN
(b)(1)
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
(b)(1 )
(b)(31(1-N I 0)
2 (b)(1)
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SECRET//
'CIA-1U0
NOFORN
WARNING: REPORT CLASS SECRE T--WARNING NOTICE--INTELLIGENCE
SOURCES OR METHODS INVOLVED--NOT RELEASABLE TO FOREIGN NATIONALS--
LL
PORTIONS CARRY CLASSIFICATION AND CONTROLS OF OVERALL DOCUMENT.
>NNNN
Collection: CC
Creator:
#1
Agency Acronym: CIA
Office Name: CIA
#2
Agency Acronym: CIA
Office Name: NCS
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
(b)(3)
Description: (S/
,(h)(3)
(b)(1)
'CIA-IU0
NF) None
Language: eng
(p)(3)
Precedence: 0
Source:
Subject: --
(b)(1),
(b)(4
SECRET/
CIA-IUc NOFORN
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