21. YUCO Enclosure to Despatch No. 1820 dated April 1a, 1946 from American Embassy, San José CONFIDENTIAL AMERICAN EMBASSY OFFICE OF THE MILITARY ATTACHE San José, Costa Rica JRH afa 11 April 1946 MEMORANDUM TO: Ambassador Hallett Johnson.
SUBJECT. Costa Rican Army. Loyalty.
Current estimate of the loyalty of the armed forces is as follows: PRESIDENTIAL GUARD (15 Officers, 50 policemen. loyal to President PICADO.
SEGURIDAD PUBLICA (33 officers and civilians. the two top officers, Colonels GALLEGOS and GRANADOS are loyal to President PICADO and anti Vanguardista. The balance are estimated to be about evenly divided between Calderónistas and Picadistas. No Vanguardistas are believed to hold assignments in this organization.
BUENA VISTA CUARTEL (29 officers, 135 enlisted men. The Commanding Officer, Colonel Raul ZELEDON, is 100 per cent Calderónista and is believed to be pro Vanguardista and possibly even pro Communist in his sympathies. Probably three fourths of his command are Calderónistas, the balance consisting of Picadistas and probably some Vanguardistas.
CUARTEL DE ARTILLERIA (29 officers, 135 enlisted men) The Commanding Officer, Colonel David PERALTA, is a Picad.
ista and bitterly anti Vanguardia Popular. It is estimated that more than half of the personnel are Picadistas. Based on past performance when René Picado was won the outs with his brother, this Cuartel might constitute a danger point in case of future trouble in that it might hold out in favor of the President in case of any attempt by the CALDERON brothers to unseat President PICADO.
NATIONAL POLICE (About 25 officers, 900 policemen. The Commanding Officer, Colonel Sigifredo CAMPOS, is not considered very politically minded, although on the government side, and is anti Vanguardista. It is estimated, however, that nearly one fourth of the total police force, approximately 200 men, are Vanguardia Popular Party fol.
lowers. The balance are largely Calderónistas, TRAFFIC POLICE (13 officers, 85 men. Commanding officer, Colonel Donato YGLESIAS, formerly had the reputation of being