FC* THE BZCOili
SUBJECT: Killing of Df. Ignacio Ellacuria
1. assassination of Ellacuria and other0 liours9 could have ueet, iwrpetrated by the extremist* of the Uft or the right.
leftist Extremists
are several occurrences which could indicate Lllacuria'Bthe nightgijg, could have been perpetrated pyHartl rational Ubvreiion Front (PM*):
a. Early morning9 annsurgents harassed the Police Officer Academy near Ciudad Merllo, between San Salvador and Santa Tecla. insurgentB set up roadblocks on the Santa Tecla highway, at the intersection of the highway and the road to Ciudad Herliot. By rtud-irorning theoveafcernsurgents withdrew from the area, leaving nines and booby traps in the Ciudad Merliot area. Civilians reported the presencensurgents eating and ranting on the highway behind the Hoechot factory. Qiidad Herliot is two kilanetera aouinwest oi the Univeraity of Central America site where eilacurla was killed.
b. One report received before the El lacuna auaassinat ion indicated eighty troops of the Forces of hDpular Liberation CPPL) fro* the El Volcan and colonia Cerro Monte, andoo* at Pince El Eapino, will try to take over Santa Tecla They will be reinforced by five to six groups of forces ol the Revolutionary Workers Forty of Ointral Amorica Workers (PRTC) from 2aragoza who will be wearing National Police uniforms. They plan to attack the General Staff tteadquarters and the National Directorate of Intelligence (DNU, and smell groups of PPL satmbers with LAW'a and HPG-a's will attack Cherokee and other patrol vehicles of. irrhaasy. They also will attack tts- homes of individuals, including Armando Calderon Sol, the Mayor of San Salvador; Francisco tonne, vice President of EI Salvador) Roberto D'Aubuisson, Itanorary President for tale of the Nationalist Republican AJliajKt-olonel Francisco Elena Fuentes, crjqavander of the First infantry Brigade; and possibly. Embassy advisorc who work with and support the Salvadoran Armed Forces.
statements by Ellacuria, iniffered frompublic statements in that they were increasingly favorable toof El Salvador and to the detriment of the PF1N. Thepublic statements given recently by Ellacuria which favoredof El Salvador and were unfavorable to the FMLN:
a. Onllacuria said that Crlutiani has proved to be his own man and notuppaC of the Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) party.
/'Pprtivefj lur Release
ieoi^iilLfSfSfl ^lacuna said the PNLN should drop its demand that UM 1 electi^ be moved up, because .1 In imcojiatu Ji innal, and the government is cc.iged to abide by the constitution. He suggested the MM should not make poatporkeiaem ol theey issue because it is negative and car. hinder the peace process. expressed skepticism that the guerrillas can negotiate with the goverrtment, integrate themselves into the political process,heir troupe, and prepare (or elections in only
C On9 Ellaeuna called FEOiAPAH's takeover of the Costa Hlcanactical error. Ik- admitted that aome in the left had criticized his call for support lot both president Cristiani and the FMLN in then dialogue efforts.
Rightist Ext recasts
4. On9 at the National Assembly, there were separate meeting of the Legislative Asbembly and the rational Executive axanjtiCOENA) of the Nationalist Republican Alliance
Aubuisson said that by the followingovember)be taken care ol CS. ssssssassassjsss^
not elaborate on this statement, but it was intended to calm the fears of those present.)
A short tine later, D'Aubuisson began to berate the Jesuit priests who teach at the University of Central America-Jose Simeon canas (UCA). He accused the priests of inventing lies, brainwashing UCA students, and of being responsible for their fining the FMLN.
D'Aubuisson then wonthalkboard and diagrammed groups which he claimed were formed on the ucA campus at the instigation of the priests there, and whicn he said had joined with the FMLN against the government. The groups he. listed included: the people's Revolutionary Armyhe United Popular Action Fronthe National Revolutionary Movement
nd the Nationalist ixwocratic Union Party (UDN1.
D'Aubuisson then named several priests at UCA that he said had only come to El Salvador to take power in the country. Ha specifically named UCA Rector Ignacio Ellacunai Segundo Montesj and Vice Hector Ignacio Martin-Baro.frequently launches into polemics of this kind against his political enemies.)
The meeting endedI present agreeing that the Salvadoran Government would have toard line- against thensurgents during the ongoing offensive.
'aaaTsaasBaTsssa'HaV' i* priests, Including the three named above, were killed at UCA by unknown parties. D'AUtxuaeon's diatribe
against the UCAew hours before their assassinat ion raises disturbing questions which ram ba anwvred. Such behavior it in character with D'Ajbuisson, however, and there is no information available at thia time to link mo or any of those known to be present at the meeting to the killing of tin* priests.)
11. (Ambassador's cotment: Tlwre are increasingly dibturbing signs that those wno executed Father Ellacuna and his fellow Jesuits were connected with elements of tbe extreme tight. ave just had from Jesuits at UCA, and claiaai they Bade about eyewitness testimony make it extremely difficult to envision the assassinations as acta ot an PMUN hit squad. The above information obviously strengthens that case. D'Aubuisson firing up his most radical followers with tales oi the subversive activitieb of the UCA Jesuits just hours before their execution is difficult to dismiss as mere coincidence. Given the importance of getting at the truth of the El lacunaave :ruii meteddfJaaat" pursue the leadsy tr* above with whatever it takes to confim ot deny. ill submit my re^atinendations for what to do by SfcPTEL.)
Original document.
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