PANAMA SITUATION REPORT AS OF 1200 PM EDT

Created: 10/12/1968

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

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PANAMA SITUAnun nuw. (ASM

NO SIGNIFICANT OPPOSITION TO LAST NIGHT'S MILITARY OUSTER OF PRESIDENT ARIAS HAD DEVELOPED ASM EOT.

ARIAS, HIS CABINET, UMBER OF HIS LEADING SUPPORTERS HAVE TAKEN REFUGE IN THE CANAL ZONE.

GENERAL VALLARINO IS ALSO IN THE ZONE, WHERE HE IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN AT PRESENT. THERE ARE INDICATIONS THAT HE VAS NOT IN ON TKE TAKE-OVER AND THAT GUARD LEADERS PLAN TO EXCLUDE HIM FROM THE JUNTA. CONFUSION STILL EXISTS ABOUT THE PLANS OF THE MILITARY LEADERS. ALTHOUGH NATIONAL GUARD EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, LT. COLONEL TORRIJOS APPEARS TOEY FORCE BEHIND THE KOVE, THE GUARD HASADIO ANNOUNCEMENT CLAIMINGROVISIONAL MILITARY JUNTA HAS BEEN FORMED, HEADED BY COLONELS PINILLA, UKRUTIA, AND HASSAN. URRUTlA, WHO HAD BEEN NAMED AS VALLARINO'S SUCCESSOR YESTERDAY, VAS INITIALLY REPORTED TO BE UNDER ARREST AND

MAY HAVE JOINED THE DISSIDENTS AFTER THEY HAD ESTABLISHED DE FACTO CONTROL OF THE COUNTRY. THE COUP LEADERS HAVE ASKED FIRST VICE PRESIDENT RAUL AHANGO TO ASSUME THE PRESIDENCY, BUT THUS FAR HE HAS REFUSED.

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PUBLICITY ON LftST NIGHT'S EVENTSTHE PUBLIC, UHICH PR OS ABLY ACCOUNTS FORREACTION FROM ARIAS' FOLLOWERS. ARIAS,RESS STATEMENT CALLING FOR THE JUNTA TO

STEP DOWN AND IS HOPEFUL THAT RESISTANCE WILL DEVELOP LATER TODAY. WITH ARIAS AND MOST OF HIS GOVERNMENT IN THE ZONE, THERE IS SOME DANGER THAT AN OUTBURST OF VIOLENCE COULD

SPREAD ALONG THE ZONE'S BORDER SLUM AREAS WHERE ARIAS" HAS

A LARGE FOLLOWING.

PARTY LEADERS HAVE CALLED FOR ARMEDTO THE GUARD, BUT THEY ARE NOT LIKELY TOTROUBLE UNLESS LARGE CROUDS OF ARIAS SUPPORTERSBALL ROLLINS. THE COMMUNISTS ARE SHALL IN NUMBERS, AKD GENERALLY FACTIONALIZED. THE GUARD WILL

BLY TRY TO ROUND UP MAJOR TROUBLEMAKERS, BUT COMMUNIST STUDENT LEADERS HAY ATTEMPT TO ORGANIZE SPORADIC TERRORISMRIOTING IF SIGNIFICANT AGITATION AGAINST THE JUMTA BEGINS. STUDENT ELEMENTS ARE ALSO UNORGANIZED At.'D FACTION-fiLIZSD, BUTROVEN ABILITY TO INCITE DISORDERS IN THE LOV'Efl-CLASS DISTRICTS OF THE CAPITAL.

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Original document.

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