CURRENT ACTIVITIES OF THE GUATEMALAN GOVERNMENT

Created: 12/17/1952

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

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COUNTRY Guatemala

SUBJECT Currant Activities of the Qua tana lan Government

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DATE DISTR. J72 NO. OF PAGES 2

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ACQUIRED Guatemala, Guateoala City

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Guatemalan who ia out of sympathy with present tendencies of Guatemalan Government.

1. During November tho Guatemalan Government shifted three or four of its

garrison commanders, apparently to prevent anti-government forces froa getting securely established in tbe Army.

government has decided tottaltenango its headquarters in the eventevolution. It expects any invasion to start froa across theSalvadoran frontier and believes ita best chances for defonao are 'to fall back on Quetialtenango andefensive lino roughly-north, and south through that city. The terrain favorsefense, and, by"So doing, tbe government will have at its back the wealthieet and Boat productive section .

of Guatemala from which to draw support. One of the best officers has

recently been transferred to QuaUaltenango, and the area haa beentroops and arms. .

The government no longer truats tho Army completely, and,esult has setecret force of non-military personnel. This force is believedumber, all hand-picked for their experience and toughness.0 are divided unevenly among three separate organisations*

Legion.roup of, commanded by Miguel Angel ominican general, with Colonel Rivas IChTB, EAiLTHBZ owns andaTWilljuWoutaldeanden supposedlywork Ittthfe'livesCity, where ba heads Aviateca for the Guatemalan Government,

Connnanist Organisation. roup ofany'scattered Guatemala, beadeddmmandar whose nanalosely-guarded

secret. The function of the group is to act as shock troops' in the 'event ?'

of trouble and to liquidate any Comnanlat leaders who get. out of line. The highest ranking Communist leaders know of this latter function.

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c. An unnamed group of Cubans and Spanish Republicans, headed by Eufcmio FERNANDEZ, former chief of the Cuban secret police under PRIO Socorras. The specific function of the group is unknown, but FERNANDEZ la knoim to be still in touch with PRIO Socorras.

U. The Guatemalan Government has been purchasing anna in El Salvador,and Mexico. Duringedium machine gunsight machine guns, along with ammunition for them, and an unknown number ofand hand grenades arrived froa the latter country. There is good evidence that none of these arms are reachingay, so the inference is that they are going to labor organizations and Communist groups. -

the meantime the government is engagedampaign to sell Communismpeople, by publishing pamphlets and using all propaganda madia. The

government Is also trying to infiltrate all legal political parties,whom the government considers sympathetic to Communism but not wellsuch. Fromoanuary the Deputies to tho National Congrossbe elected, and, although the Communists aro now strong in thehope to dominate it completely by having their men representing In March all judgeships coma up for reappointment, and thewill be made by the Deputies elected in January. Thus, if thethe Congress, they will also have the.means of dominatiitw

conditions are becoming more grave every day, with capitalcountry for Mexico and the United States. ARBENZ is preparing toEconomic Emergency Law, by which all capital in the country, nationalwill bo frozen. The government is alsoix per cent

tax on imports and exports.

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