102. Editorial Note
On September 21, President Anastasio Somoza was shot in León near Managua. Telegram 84 from Managua, September 22, reported that Somoza had a good chance to recover, that no general uprising appeared imminent, and a state of siege had not yet been imposed. The telegram stated further that Ambassador Whelan requested the immediate dispatch of the “best available medical specialist from US and Panama.” (Department of State, Central Files, 717.11/9–2256) Telegram 87 from Managua, September 23, reported that surgical teams from the United States and Panama in conference with President Somoza’s son Luis and other Nicaraguan Government officials had decided to send the wounded President to Panama for further medical care. The telegram also stated that the would-be assassin, Rigoberto Lopez Perez, who was killed on the spot, was a “Communist trained in Mexico or Salvador.” (Ibid., 717.11/9–2356)