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ElfegoHernnMonznAguirre
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

ElfegoHernnMonznAguirre[1]wasaGuatemalanarmy
officerwhowasPresidentofGuatemalaandleaderofa HisExcellency
militaryjuntafrom29June1954to8July1954,duringthe ElfegoHernnMonznAguirre
1954Guatemalancoupd'tat.[2] PresidentoftheRepublicofGuatemala
Inoffice
29June19548July1954
Contents Precededby CarlosEnriqueDazdeLen

1 Earlycareer Succeededby CarlosCastilloArmas

Earlycareer
MonznwasanofficerintheGuatemalanmilitary,eventuallyattainingtherankofColonel.[2]Healsoserved
inthecabinetofGuatemalanPresidentJacoborbenz(inofficefrom1951to1954).[3]HistorianJimHandy
describedhimin1985as"ministerforgovernment,"[4]whileaU.S.governmentmemorandumdescribedhim
asa"ministerwithoutportfolio"on14January1954.[5]SourceswithintheU.S.embassyinGuatemalawere
reportedtohavesaidthatMonznhad,inprivateconversations,expressedconcernsovercommunistinfluence
inGuatemala,afterhehadbeenapproachedwiththesuggestionthatheleadacoupagainstthegovernment.[5]
Monznstatedthatthearmyitselfwasanticommunist,butthatconditionsneededtoworsenbeforethearmy
woulddoanything.However,heanticipatedthatinafewmonths,thearmywouldbewillingtoforcerbenzto
resign,andheexpressedhopesthatothercountrieswouldplacesevereeconomicpressureonGuatemala.[5]
Monznhadheardofacoupattemptbeingplanned,andwasworriedthatitwouldleadtoseverebloodshed.[5]
TimWeiner,inhishistoryoftheCentralIntelligenceAgency(CIA),statedthatMonznhadbeenbribedby
CIAofficerHenryHecksher.[6]

Assumptionofpresidency
On27June1954rbenzresignedasaresultofaU.S.sponsoredcoup.CarlosEnriqueDazreplacedhimas
president,attheheadofamilitaryjunta,[2]whichalsoincludedMonzn,andJoseAngelSnchez.[7]On29
JuneDazwasforcedtoresign,andanewthreepersonjunta,headedbyMonzn,tookpower.[2]Witnesses
laterstatedthatDaz'removaltookplaceat4AMinDaz'home.[8]U.S.diplomatJohnPeurifoy,whohadalso
playedaroleinthecoup,hadsummonedallthreemembersofthemilitaryjuntathere,andDazhadannounced
thathewasresigningafterameetingwithPeurifoyandSnchez.Monznthenenteredandannouncedthathe
wasformingthenewjunta.[8]HistorianPieroGleijesesstatedthatPeurifoywasroughwithDazatthemeeting,
beratinghimforallowingrbenztocriticizetheU.S.inhisresignationspeech.[9]Dazlaterstatedthat
Peurifoyhadpresentedhimwithalistofnames,anddemandedthatallofthembeshotbythenextday,
becausetheywerecommunistsDazhadrefused,turningPeurifoyfurtheragainsthim.[10]Gleijesesmaintains

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thatPeurifoycompelledDaztoallowMonzntobecomepresident,asMonznwasmorestaunchlyanti
communist.[9]TheothermembersofMonzn'sjuntawereJosLuisCruzSalazarandMauricioDubois.[7]Life
magazinedescribedMonznashaving"amoreimpressiveantiCommunistrecord"thanDaz.[3]

Salvadornegotiations
Monznwasastaunchanticommunist,andhadspokenrepeatedlyofhisloyaltytotheU.S..Nonetheless,he
wasnotinitiallywillingtohandoverpowertoCarlosCastilloArmas,theleaderoftheUSbackedrebelsinthe
coupagainstrbenz.[9]TheUSStateDepartmentpersuadedscarOsorio,thedictatorofElSalvador,toinvite
Monzn,CastilloArmas,andothersignificantindividualstoparticipateinpeacetalksinSanSalvador.Osorio
agreedtodoso,andafterDazhadbeendeposed,MonznandCastilloArmasarrivedintheSalvadorancapital
on30June.[9][2][3]MonznencountereddifficultiesnegotiatingwithCastilloArmas,whowishedtoincorporate
someofhisrebelforcesintotheGuatemalanmilitary:Monzn,however,wasreluctanttoallowthis.[3]Castillo
ArmasalsosawMonznashavingenteredthefightagainstrbenzlate.[3]Thenegotiationsnearlybrokedown
ontheveryfirstday,andsoPeurifoy,whohadremainedinGuatemalaCitytogivetheimpressionthattheUS
wasnotheavilyinvolvedwiththenegotiations,traveledtoSanSalvador.[11][12]AllenDulles,directorofthe
CIA,latersaidthatPeurifoy'srolewasto"cracksomeheadstogether."[12]Peurifoywasabletoforcean
agreementduetothefactthatMonznnorCastilloArmascouldhavebecomeorremainedpresidentwithout
thesupportoftheUS.Thedealwasannouncedat4:45amon2July,andunderitsterms,CastilloArmasand
hissubordinateMajorEnriqueTrinidadOlivabecamemembersofthejuntaledbyMonzn,althoughMonzn
remainingpresident.[11][2][3]On8July1954CastilloArmasreplacedMonznaspresidentCastilloArmasleda
newfivepersonjunta,ofwhichMonznremainedamember.[2]ThesettlementnegotiatedbyCastiloArmas
andMonznalsosaidthatthefivemanjuntawouldrulefor15days,duringwhichapresidentwouldbe
chosen.[3]

Aftermath
SoonafterCastilloArmastookthepresidency,hefacedacoupattemptfromwithinthearmy.AnarticleinLife
magazinestatedthatMonzn'srefusaltojointherebelsprovedtheturningpointoftherevolt,andtheattempt
wascrushed,leaving29deadand91wounded.[13]ColonelCruzSalazarandColonelDubois,whowereseenas
Monzn'ssupportersinthejunta,hadmadeasecretagreementwithCastilloArmaswithoutMonzon's
knowledge,andresignedon7July.Asaresult,Monzonwasoutnumberedinthejunta,andalsoresigned,on1
September.[2]ThispermittedCastilloArmastobeunanimouslyelectedpresidentofthejunta.[11]Fortheir
cooperation,SalazarandDuboiswerepaid100,000USdollarseach.[11]On13July,thenewgovernmentwas
recognizedbytheUSgovernment.[14]AnelectionwasorganizedinearlyOctober1954,butallpoliticalparties
wereprohibitedfromparticipatinginit.TheonlycandidatewasCarlosCastilloArmas,whowon99%ofthe
vote.[15][16]MonznremainedapartofCastilloArmas'administration.[2]

References
1.Turner,B.TheStatesman'sYearbook2015:ThePolitics,CulturesandEconomiesoftheWorld.Springer.p.560.
ISBN9781349672783.Retrieved3January2017.
2.Lentz,HarrisM.(2014).HeadsofStatesandGovernmentsSince1945.Routledge.pp.342343.ISBN9781134
264902.Retrieved3January2017.
3."TheEndOfaTwelveDayCivilWar".Life.37(2):2122.12June1954.Retrieved3January2017.
4.Handy,Jim(1985)."TheGuatemalanRevolutionandCivilRights:PresidentialElectionsandtheJudicialProcess
underJuanJosArvaloandJacoboArbenzGuzmn".CanadianJournalofLatinAmericanandCaribbeanStudies.
10(19).
5.Holly,SusanK.(2003).ForeignRelationsoftheUnitedStates,19521954:Guatemala.GovernmentPrintingOffice.
pp.166175.ISBN9780160513046.Retrieved3January2017.
6.Weiner,Tim(2005).LegacyofAshes.PenguinUK.p.97.ISBN9780141920733.
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7.McCleary,RachelM.(1999).DictatingDemocracy:GuatemalaandtheEndofViolentRevolution.UniversityPress
ofFlorida.p.237.ISBN9780813017266.Retrieved3January2017.
8.Blasier,Cole(1985).TheHoveringGiant(RevisedEdition):U.S.ResponsestoRevolutionaryChangeinLatin
America,19101985.UniversityofPittsburghPress.ISBN9780822974314.Retrieved3January2017.
9.Gleijeses1992,pp.354357.
10.Schlesinger&Kinzer1999,pp.207208.
11.Gleijeses1992,pp.354357.
12.Schlesinger&Kinzer1999,pp.212215.
13."AQuestionof"DonDeMando" ".Life.37(7).16August1954.Retrieved3January2017.
14.Schlesinger&Kinzer1999,p.216.
15.Immerman1982,pp.173178.
16.Schlesinger&Kinzer1999,pp.224225.

Sources
Gleijeses,Piero(1992).ShatteredHope:TheGuatemalanRevolutionandtheUnitedStates,19441954.
PrincetonUniversityPress.ISBN9780691025568.
Immerman,RichardH.(1982).TheCIAinGuatemala:TheForeignPolicyofIntervention.Austin:
UniversityofTexasPress.
Schlesinger,StephenKinzer,Stephen(1999).BitterFruit:TheStoryoftheAmericanCoupin
Guatemala.DavidRockefellerCenterseriesonLatinAmericanstudies,HarvardUniversity.ISBN978
0674019300.

Politicaloffices
PresidentofGuatemala Succeededby
Precededby
1954 CarlosCastillo
CarlosEnriqueDazdeLen
(MilitaryJunta) (MilitaryJunta)

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Categories: 1912births 1981deaths PresidentsofGuatemala

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