388. Editorial Note
The Policy Review Committee (PRC) met the afternoon of October 15, 1979, to discuss El Salvador and Central America. The agenda called for a review of the current situation in El Salvador, an evaluation of the present policy, a review of options, and a survey of the situation in other Central American countries. (Carter Library, National Security Council, Institutional Files, Box 78, PRC–126, 10/15/1979, El Salvador and Central America) However, in telegram 5853 from San Salvador, [Page 971] October 15, the Embassy reported that a coup was in progress in El Salvador. (Department of State, Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, Nicaragua/El Salvador Working Files, Lot 81D64, El Salvador Telegrams 10/79) National Security Council Staff member Robert Pastor recounted the events of the day in an October 15 Daily Report item: “Cy Vance chaired a PRC meeting today on U.S. policy to El Salvador, just when we begin receiving reports of a coup in progress. Our intelligence suggests that the coup is being led by reformist army groups with contacts to the Archbishop and the Christian Democrats. We decided to get immediately in touch with Napoleon Duarte, the head of the Christian Democrats, to find out what he knew about it. It turns out that he knew very little. If it looks as if the coup is genuinely reformist, we should be prepared to assist it to deal with the insurgency problems better.” (Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Staff Material, North/South, Pastor Files, Country Files, Box 20, El Salvador: 10/15–31/79) Pastor’s handwritten notes, dated October 15, are the only substantive record of this meeting that have been found; the notes indicate that the PRC focused solely on the ongoing coup. (Ibid.) For President Jimmy Carter’s reaction to the coup, see Document 391.