CtA HISTORICAL REVIEW PROGRAM RELEASE AS SANITIZED
Chief of Station, Guatemala
Biographic Data on Guatemalan Personalities
Juan JoaetAREVALO
b)o)
i review of the files reveals that Headquarters is in possession of pertinent data concerning tho subject, and therefore, in vies of other priority assign-sent a, no attempt has been made by. this station to correlate the information.
2. Attachedist showing dispatches at Headquarters which this stationpertinent and which havs been broken down Into variousisargo voluae of correspondence, principally from
, covering thend dealing with Arevalo's
probable Involvement In Caribbean revolutionary activities.
Adrian B. Kidwell
3
Enclosures! as noted
iles
3- Also attachedopyonfidential biographic data report on the subject prepared at this En&asay inh and giving certain basic data.
'COPV
COJEiflSHTIAL BIOGRAPHIC DATA
Poeti Guatemala
Datei Septemberk
Ramoi Juan Jose AREVALO Bermojo Nationality i Guatemalan
Title t Doctor of Pblloaophy and Soienoes In Education
Date and place of birthi SeptemberU. Taxiaco, Santa Rosa, Guatemala Party affiliationsi Bb declaration. Supported by Pronto Popular Libertador,
Partido Renovacloo Nacional and other smaller parties. Preriou* career: Entirely in Education, mostly in Argentina, normal school
professor, founder of Institute Pedagogico de San Lola, Argentina. Languages spokem Spanish, French.
Attitude toward and serrico in the U. St No known service or travel In the United States. Attitude doubtfuli profeasea profound admiration for the oanse of the United Nations.
Family details i Son of Uarlano Arevalo, farmer, and Elena Bernojo, teacher.
Married to an Argentine of Spanish blood. Inevitably, there haa been such speculation as to the background of his wife. She is an Argentine, born there of Spanish parents. Her father is one Silverlo martinea, bar mother, Brigida Contraras de Martinet. ife, Eliaa, ia some four years older than ha and wasouches.
Remarkst
Dr. Arevalo is possibly the moat popular of Guatemala'a currant presidentialtea. His supporters include the extremely vociferous body of Uidveralty studentsair segment of the intelligent professional element, but definitely not the military group. His extreme popularity is somethingystery in that he has never been aotive in politics and has never held an important office of any kind in Guatemala. As this report la written he haa Just arrived In Guatemala fromshore ha has lived with only brief interruptions
Of ladino origin and Catholic faith, Arevalo was educated in the best Guateadan schools, graduating froa the ken's normal School2 and going immediately into public school teaching. His rise in the educational field wss rapid. Ha traveled briefly in Holland, Belgium, Spain and Francoompleting in Europe his pedagogical study "aatodo Nacional." nder President Lasaro Chacon, Arevalo was awarded one of several foreign educational scholarships offered by tbe Government of Ouatemala at that time. This took him to Argentina, where he won further scholastic distinction and received the degree of Doctor of Philooophy and Science in Education from the Facultad de Humanidadea de la Platab.
Enclosure No. 2
Returning that same year to Guatemala, which In tho scanwhUo had nettled down toyear suboervianoo to the Ubico dictatorship, Arevalo nao disll.lcalonod. The post given bin in the Uiniafcry oX Education afforded little or no opportunity to put Into effect his ideas of educational reform. Too yoars later he ana bank In Argentina, where ho has lived since, occupying notable professorial posts is pedagogy and founding tho Pedagogical Institute of San Luis.
Conflicting reports make an accurate appraisal of Dr. Arevalo's political thought difficult. Due possibly to his long Argentine reaidtnoo, ha io accused by critico of hazi sympathies. It has also been said he renounced bis Quatonalan cdtinonsblp, but thia ia believed to have been disproved. Another story Is ttoat Arevaloamphlet advocating twoin-American unions, one couprising the South American nations under the leadership of Argentina and the other including the Central American countriaa, led byho apparent intention being to break the lead of the United States In the Western Heniephore.
On the otherav&ber of the American Enbaaay staff in Buenos Aires whoersonal friend of Arevalo considers the latter aire ere in hla lefty political principles. Reference la made in this connection to Despatchrom the Embassy in Buenos Aires, in which Arevalo'3 declaration of political principles is enclosed. This document is violent In dermaol&tlon of Nanism, European, Asiatic andnd strong in praise of the United Nations. Likejralis given of what tho author terns Latin America1 debt to the United States of Aawria* in world War XX. Thanks to "ourheays thetho Latin Ajtwricaa nations need no longer worry about nazl-faaoiat predatory designs in this continent. But, it continues, there isreat deal to be done to depose dictators in the Latin American oounfcrina.
Whather Dr. Arevalo means all this, or is ae rely playing up to the snti-dictiftior sentlnent so papular in Ouatemala since the fall of Ggnarel Ubico, isatter of interesting conjecture.
Prepared byi Yta. C. Affeld, Jr.
2nd Secretary of Embassy
OTNPXPHfriAL
Enclosure
Original document.
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