257. Memorandum of Telephone Conversation Between the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Holland) and the Ambassador to Guatemala (Peurifoy)1
Early in the morning of Tuesday, June 29, Ambassador Peurifoy called me from Guatemala to say that he was talking on a clear line from which censorship had been removed for the purpose of that call. He said that at about three o’clock in the morning the Junta composed of Diaz, Monzon and Sanchez had been overthrown by a Junta composed of Monzon and two young colonels, Jose Luis Cruz and Mauricio Dubois.
Monzon is favorable to Castillo Armas, and the Junta wants to arrange an immediate cease-fire order and a conference with Castillo Armas on June 29 in El Salvador.
Ambassador Peurifoy says that he is very favorably impressed with the two additions to the Junta and feels that we should do everything possible to strengthen it. He asks that we use our good offices to try get word to Castillo Armas to set an hour today on which all ground fighting will cease and to ground all his airplanes immediately. If we will advise Peurifoy of the hour so fixed, the Junta will suspend activities of their ground forces simultaneously.
If the conference is arranged in El Salvador, the Junta will go in an Embassy plane. Ambassador Peurifoy and the Papal Nuncio will accompany them, but will stay in the background and not participate in the conferences.
- Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Job 79–01025A, Box 151, Folder 2. Confidential. Drafted by Holland, who was in Washington; Peurifoy was in Guatemala City.↩