00681 1980/11/19 Department of State SECRET AN: SECRET PAGE 01 san SA 00000 1920001 acr1ou ARA-I6 INFO OCT-01 nos-00 HA-OG INRE-OO c1nE-00 1na-10 sv-os SYE-OO OCT-02 550-00 55-15 PH-OV- nouE-oo (0?2 --031~31 1920112 100 0 1919201 n01 00 FH ANENBASSY SAN SALVADOR r0 secsrar: ensue: INNEDIATE 1212 1 SAN SALVADOR 1H E.0. 120?s: nos-u 11:10:90 7 TAGS: snun. PINS. PINT. PINK. es SUBJECT: r5) CONVERSATION ctr? NATIONAL GUARD OFFICER I. (S- ENTIRE TEAT) 2. POLOFF SPOKE IITH A LOU-RANKING NATIONAL GUARD OFFICER. NOVENBER IS. THIS IS A SOURCE IHOH POLOFF HAD NEVER NET BEFORE AND UHOSE RELIABILITY CANNOT BE JUDGED. SONE OF HIS CONNENTS FOLLOH. 3. ASSASSINATION OF NONSIGNOR RONERO. THE SOURCE TOLD POLOFF THAT HE PARTICIPATED IN A HEETING DURING IHICH THE ASSASSINATION OF ARCHBISHOP RONERO IAS PLANNED. HAS ASSASSINATED. ACCORDING TO THE SOURCE. DREU LOTS FOR THE TASK OF KILLING THE ARCHBISHOP. THE UAS AN TEX-NATIONAL GUARDSNAN HHO. RIDGE USED IN THE ASSASSINATION IAS HIS DIN. HE INDICATED THAT NAJOR ROBERTO IAS IN CHARGE OF THE NEETING AND THAT IT TOOK PLACE SHORTLY -- A DAY OR TNO -- BEFORE RONERO THE PARTICIPANTS SAID THE SOURCE. NOI LIVES IN CIUDAD DELGADO. THE OFFICER SAID THAT THE CART- in par"; J. Dborauve S). statutory melat- full; I Salvadcr 8? Date .3 (312356()0 1 I 1; privac I T. not relevant to 121 Ds-cl 35.11191: under law snforcemen - p-ru'tlone ??ifhheld: Dspartmant of Stat-a I 1? 0. THE RIGHT AND RIGHTIST KILLINGS. THE SOURCE SAID THAT HE HAS A PERSONAL FRIEND OF HAJOR AND THAT HAS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS TRIED TO CONVINCE THE SOURCE TO JOIN HIH -- IN GUATEHALA. HE IENT ON TO SAY THAT HE HOULD NEVER DO THAT BECAUSE HAD SOLD HIHSELF TO THE THE ARHED FORCES BECAUSE HIS SELL-OUT. THE RIGHT. SECRET I SECRET PAGE 02 SAN SA OBOBH ISZOOHL HE SAID THAT HAS NO BACKING UITHIN CLAIHED THE SOURCE. NO LONGER HAS ANY REAL LEVERAGE IN EL SALVADOR SECRET SECRET BECAUSE IT IS VIEIED AS BEING NADE UP OF HEALTHY PEOPLE UHO FLED HHEN THE SITUATION HERE BECANE DIFFICULT AND LEFT THE NILITARY TO FACE THE LEFTIST THREAT ALONE. HE SAID THAT THE NINISTRY HILL NEVER AGAIN SERVE AS A FOR-THOSE NONIED INTERESTS. THE SOURCE CONTINUED BY SAYING THAT THE KILLINGS GOING ON NOI THAT ARE ATTRIBUTEO TO THE RIGHT ARE DONE BY THE GUARDSNEN AND POLICE. THE DEATH SDUADRON. FOR EXANPLE. IS NADE UP OF SECURITY FORCES NENBERS IHO LEAVE DEATH SDUADRON PLACARDS BY THEIR VICTINS SO THAT THEIR KILLINGS CANNOT BE ATTRIBUTED TO THEN. HE USED AS AN EXANPLE THE KILLINGS OF THREE HHO HAD BEEN CAPTURED IN THE AREA UNDER HIS CONNAND. AT FIRST HE HAD CONSIDERED SETTING THEN FREE BUT AFTER HAVING BEEN TOLD BY A SERGEANT THAT THE THREE HERE UNREFORNED HE HAD HAD THEN KILLED. SHOULD THERE BE ANY INDUIRIES INTO THOSE DEATHS BY HIGHER RANKING OFFICERS HE IOULO. HE SAID. SINPLY SAY THAT HE KNEU NOTHING ABOUT THEN. HE SAID THAT IN SAN SALVADOR HE HAD PARTICIPATED IN UNAUTHORIIED OPERATIONS AGAINST SUPPOSED LEFTISTS. HIS PARTICIPATION HAS NOTIVATED BY THE RECENT KILLING OF HIS BROTHER. ALSO A NILITARY OFFICER. AND OF HIS FATHER IN NAY I979. BOTH BY THE LEFT. HE HAD ALSO. HE SAID. KILLED SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE IHO HAD BEEN FOUND NEAR ONE OF THE HOUSES HE USES TO HIDE OUT (HE IS ON A FARN DEATH LIST) SINPLY BECAUSE HE SUSPECTED THEN OF PRESENTING A THREAT TO HIN. ASKED HOI HE KNEI THAT THEY PRESENTED A THREAT. HE SAID THAT HE COULD NOT BE IF NOT. HE HAVE NADE A S. COLONEL NAJANO. THE SOURCE DISPLAYED AN INTENSE HATRED FOR COLONEL NAJANO AND.SAID THAT HIS DIN ATTITUDE HAS PREVALENT THROUGHOUT THE ARNED FORCES. NAJANO. HE SAID. HAS NOT HORKING IITH THE ARNED FORCES BUT AGAINST THEN. NAJANO IS. CLAINED THE SOURCE. A TRAITOR TO THE COUNTRY UHO SHOULD BE SECRET SECRET PAGE 03 SAN SA ODOBH IS2OOH2 KILLED. IN FACT. IF HE uEnE TD BE TASKED KILLING NAJANO HE UOULD DD 50. HE TOLD POLOFF TD NY NAJANO HILL BE KILLED AND BY THE NILITARV ESTABLISHHEHT ITSELF. IT NATTER TO HIN uHo TDDK CONHAND DEATH: HE SAID. HDRALES EHRLICH. GUTIERREI. IT HATTER To NE TAKES OVER JUST AS LONG AS NAJANO Is IF NAJANO IS NOT REHDIED BY OECEHBER 20. HE SAID. THE JUNTA HILL BE HE CLAIHED THAT THE NILITARV 15 UNITED AEAIHST NAJANO AND THAT IF SDHETHIHD IS HDT OONE.TO ELININATE HIH ALL OF THE JUNTA HEHBERS KILL SUFFER THE EDKSEDUEKEES. ASKED IHY . SECRET SECRET DECENBER 20 HAS SIGNIFICANT. HE SAID THAT IT HAS TD A NEN RESDLTE BEFORE THE REAGAN ADNINISTRATIDN TAKES DFFICE IN THE UNITED STATES. 7. CURRENT: THE SOURCE IS A BADLT EDUCATED INDIVIDUAL IHO NAS AN ENLISTED NAN FDR NDST OF HIS GN CAREER AND NEVER GRADUATED FRDN THE HILITART ACADENT. HE INDICATED THAT HE HAD IORKED CLDSELT IITH GENERAL NEDRAND As A NDN-CDNNISSIDNED DFFICER: HE.LDST HIS NENTDR IN THE GUARD 1HEH NEDRAND NAS DUSTED. DESPITE HIS ASCENDANCE IN RANK BELIETES THAT HE HAS BEEN SDNE- RESEHBLING A PARIAH IN THE GUARD UNDER HE USED EIPLETIIES TD DESCRIBE THE CURRENT LEADER- SHIP IN THE GUARD. RIDICULING ITS PASSIVITY IN DEALING NITH THE CURRENT SITUATIDN AND PDINTING DUT SEIERAL TIHES THAT IT HAS THE STRICTURES PLACED DN THE GUARD IN THE FIELD THAT FDRCED HIN AND DTHER LIKE-HINDED SECURITY NENBERS TD CLANDESTINELT CARRT DUT THEIR BRUTAL THIS Is. IN A SAIAGE NHD FEELS VICTIHIZED BDTH BY THE LEFT AND BY THE GN HIERARCHT. GIVEN THDSE CIRCUNSTANCES NE DDUBT NHETHER HE IS REALLY IN A PDSITIDN TD ANDN THE PLANS FDR A AGAINST THE JRG. IE SUSPECT THAT THE DECENBER 20 DATE REPRESENTS NDRE HIS HDPE THAN IT DDES ACCURATE As FAR AS HIS PARTICIPATIDN IN BRUTAL ACTITITIES IS CDNCERNED. BELIEVES THAT THE SOURCE uAs TELLING THE TRUTH. DIDN SECRET SECRET