00681 1980 11 19 •• • C Q •• •• Department of State • • I • TELEGRAM 1· · SECRET AN D11oosn-011111 SECRET PAGE 01 ACTION ARA·l' SAN SA 011011'1 l920U'4l tNFO OCT·Ol ADS-00 HA·O' INRE·OO CIAE-00 INR-10 ftSAE-00 SY-05 SYE-00 DCT-02 SSO·OO NSCE-00 SS·l5 P •07 OODE-00 10 2 W ------------------037'131 1920111 ' ' 0 1919202 NOV 110 FN ANENBASSr SAN SALFADOR TO SECSTATE MASHDC INNED ATE 1212 __ S E C R E T SAN SALVADOR 11 '-'t--- E O 120 s RDS·'I lll 11190 ' TAGS SHU PINS PINT PlkH fS SUBJECT S CO#FERSAT 0# MITH NATIONAL GUARD OFFICER I CS· ENTIRE TE T POLOFF SPOKE WITH A LOW-RANKING NATIONAL GUARD OFFICER NOVE BER 111 THIS IS A SOURCE WHO POLOFF HAD NEVER ET BEFORE ANO WHOSE RELIABILITY CANNOT BE JUDGED SO E OF HIS co ENTS FOLLOW 3 ASSASSINATION OF ONSIGNOR RONERO THE SOURCE TOLD POLOfF THAT HE PARTICIPATED IN A EETING DURING WHICH THE ASSASSINATION Of ARCHBISHOP RO ERO WAS PLANNED HE INDICATED THAT NAJOR ROBERTO O'AUBU SSON MAS IN CHARGE OF THE EETING AND THAT IT TOOK PLACE SHORTLY -- A DAY OR TWO -- BEFORE RO ERO WAS ASSASSINATED ACCORDING TO THE SOURCE THE PARTICIPANTS DREW LOTS FOR THE TASK OF KILLING THE ARCHBISHOP THE MINNER• MAS AN EX-NATIONAL GUARDSNAH MHO SAID THE SOURCE NOW LIVES IN CIUDAD DELGADO THE OFFICER SAID THAT THE CART· RIDGE USED IN THE ASSASSINATION WAS HIS OMN •• THE RIGHT AND RIGHTIST KILLINGS THE SOURCE SAID THAT HE WAS A PERSONAL FRIEND OF NAJOR D'AUBUISSON AND 1HAT O'AUBUISSON HAS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS TRIED TO CONVINCE THE SOURCE TO JOIN HIN -- D'AUBUISSON -- IN GUATENALA HE WENT ON TO SAY THAT HE WOULD NEVER 00 THAT BECAUSE O'AUBUISSON HAD SOLD HINSELF 10 THE CAPITALISTS• HE SAID THAT D'AUBUISSON HAS NO BACKING WITHIN THE ARNED FORCES BECAUSE F HIS SELL·OUT THE RIGHT CLAINED SECRET SECRET PAGE 02 SAN SA 01101111 19200111 THE SOURCE NO LONGER HAS ANY R A LEVERAGE IN EL SALVADOR SECRET - -- SECRET BECAUSE IT IS WIEWED AS BEING NADE UP OF WEALTHY PEOPLE WHO FLED WHEN THE SITUATION HERE BECANE DIFFICULT AND LEFT THE NILITARY TO FACE THE LEFTIST THREAT ALONE HE SAID THAT THE NINISTRY WILL NEWER AGAIN SERYE AS A •TRANPOLINE• FOR -THOSE NONI ED INTERESTS ·5 THE SOURCE CONTINUED BY SAYING THAT THE KILLINGS GOING OH NOW THAT ARE ATTRIBUTED TO THE RIGHT ARE DONE BY THE GUARDSNEN AND POLICE THE DEATH SQUADRON FOR EXANPLE IS NADE UP OF SECURITY FORCES NENBERS WHO LEAYE DEATH SQUADRON PLACARDS BY THEI WICTI S SO THAT THEIR KILLINGS CANNOT BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE HE USED AS AN EXANPLE THE KILLINGS OF THREE •KIDS• WHO HAD BEEN CAPTURED IN THE AREA UNDER HlS CON AND AT FlRST HE HAD CONSIDERED SETTING THEN FREE BUT AFTER HAWING BEEN TOLD BY A SERGEANT THAT THE THREE WERE UNREFORNED HE HAD HAD THEN KILLED SHOULD THERE BE ANY INQUIRIES INYO THOSE DEATHS BY HIGHER RANKING OFFICERS HE WOULD HE SAID Si PLY SAY THAT HE KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THE • HE SAID THAT IN SAN SALYADOR HE HAD PARTICIPATED IN UNAUTHORIZED OPERATIONS AGAINST SUPPOSED LEFTISTS HIS PARTICIPATION WAS OTIYATED BY THE RECENT KILLING OF HIS BROTHER ALSO A NILITARY OFFICER AND OF HIS FATHER IN NAY 1919 BOTH BY THE LEFT HE HAD ALSO HE SAID KILLED SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN FOUND NEAR ONE OF THE HOUSES HE USfS TO HIDE OUT CHE IS ON A FARN DEATH LIST Sl PLY BECAUSE HE SUSPECTED THE OF PRESENTING A THREATT HI • ASKED HOW HE KNEW THAT THEY PRESENTED A THREAT HE SAID THAT HE COULD NOT BE SURE IF NOT HE ·woULD HAWE NADE A STAKE · COLONEL JANO THE SOURCE DISPLAYED AH INTENSE HATRED FOR COLONEL NAJANO ANO SAID THAT HIS OWN ATTITUDE WAS PREWALENT THROUGHOUT THE ARNEO FORCES NAJANO HE SAID WAS NOT WORKING WITH THE ARNEO FORCES BUT AGAINST THEN NAJANO IS CLAINED T E SOURCE A TRAITOR TO THE COUNTRY WHO SHOULD BE SECRET SECRET PAGE OJ SAN SA 0808 19200 1 KILLED IN FACT IF HE WERE TO BE TASKED WITH KILLING NAJANO HE WOULD 00 SO Hf TOLD POLOFF TO •RENENBER NY WORDS· NAJANO WILL BE KILLED ANO BY THE NILITARY ESTABLISHNENT ITSELF IT DIDN'T NATTER TO H N WHO TOOK CONNANO FOLLOWING NAJANO'S DEATH HE SAID ·ouARTE NORALES EHRLICH GUTIERREZ IT DOESN'T NATTER TO NE WHO TAKES OVER JUST AS LONG AS NAJANO IS RENOVEO • IF NAJANO IS NOT REMOVED BY DECEMBER 20 HE SAID THE WHOLE JUNTA WILL BE OWERTURNEO HE CLAIMED THAT THE MILITARY 15 UNITED AGAINST NAJANO AND THAT IF SOMETHING IS NOT DONE TO ELININATE HIN LL OF THE JUNTA HENBERS WILL SUFFER THE tONSEQUENCES ASKED WHY J • SECRET SECRET DECE BER 20 WAS SIGNIFICANT HE SAID THAT IT WAS INPORTANT TO DE OHSTRATE A NEW RESOLYE BEFORE THE REAGAN ADNINISTRATION TAKES OFFICE IN THE UNITED STATES 7 co ENT THE SOURCE IS A BADLY EDUCATED INDIYIDUAL WHO WAS AN ENLISTED NAN FOR NOST OF HIS GN CAREER AND NEYER GRADUATED FRO THE NILITARY ACADENY HE INDICATED THAT HE HAD WORKED CLOSELY WITH GENERAL EDRANO AS A NON·CO ISSIONED OFFICER HE LOST HIS ENTOR IN THE GUARD HEN NEDRANO WAS OUSTED DESPITE HIS ASCENDANCE IN RANK POLOFF B LIEYES THAT HE HAS BEEN SONE· THING RESE BLING A PARIAH IN THE GUARD UNDER EDRANO'S SUCCESSORS HE USED EXPLETIYES TO DESCRIBE THE CURRENT LEADER· SHIP IN THE GUARD RIDICULING ITS PASSIYITY IN DEALING WITH THE CURRENT SITUATION AND POIMTING OUT SEYERAL Tl ES THAT IT WAS THE STRICTURES PLACED ON THE GUARD IN THE FIELD THAT FORCED HI AND OTHER LIKE·NINDED SECURITY CORPS NE BERS TO CLANDESTINELY CARRY OUT THEIR BRUTAL ACTIYITIES THIS rs IN SHORT A SAYAGE INDIYIOUAL WHO FEELS YICTINIZED BOTH BY THE LEFT AHO BY THE GH HIERARCHY GIYEN THOSE CIRCUNSTANCES WE DOUBT WHETHER HE IS REALLY IN A POSITION TO KNOW THE PLANS FOR A COUP AGAINST THE JRG WE SUSPECT THAT THE DECE BER 20 DATE REPRESENTS NORE HIS HOPE THAN IT DOES ACCURATE INFORNATIOH AS FAR AS HIS PARTICIPATION IN BRUTAL ACTIYITIES IS CONCERNED POLOFF BELIEVES THAT THE SOURCE WAS TELLING THE TRUTH DION SECRET SECRET