Elfegio Monzón
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His Excellency Elfego Hernán Monzón Aguirre |
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|---|---|
| 27th President of the Republic of Guatemala | |
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In office 29 June 1954 – 8 July 1954 |
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| Preceded by | Carlos Enrique Díaz de León |
| Succeeded by | Carlos Castillo Armas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 May 1912 |
| Died | 6 June 1981 (aged 69) |
| Occupation | Military |
Elfego Hernán Monzón Aguirre was a Guatemalan army officer who was President of Guatemala and leader of a military junta from 29 June 1954 to 8 July 1954, during the 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état.
Monzón was an officer in the Guatemalan military, eventually attaining the rank of Colonel. He also served in the cabinet of Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz (in office from 1951 to 1954). Historian Jim Handy described him in 1985 as "minister for government," while a U.S. government memorandum described him as a "minister without portfolio" on 14 January 1954. Sources within the U.S. embassy in Guatemala were reported to have said that Monzón had, in private conversations, expressed concerns over communist influence in Guatemala, after he had been approached with the suggestion that he lead a coup against the government. Monzón stated that the army itself was anti-communist, but that conditions needed to worsen before the army would do anything. However, he anticipated that in a few months, the army would be willing to force Árbenz to resign, and he expressed hopes that other countries would place severe economic pressure on Guatemala. Monzón had heard of a coup attempt being planned, and was worried that it would lead to severe bloodshed.Tim Weiner, in his history of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), stated that Monzón had been bribed by CIA officer Henry Hecksher.
On 27 June 1954 Árbenz resigned as a result of a U.S. sponsored coup. Carlos Enrique Díaz replaced him as president, at the head of a military junta, which also included Monzón, and Jose Angel Sánchez. On 29 June Díaz was forced to resign, and a new three-person junta, headed by Monzón, took power. Witnesses later stated that Díaz' removal took place at 4 AM in Díaz' home. U.S. diplomat John Peurifoy, who had also played a role in the coup, had summoned all three members of the military junta there, and Díaz had announced that he was resigning after a meeting with Peurifoy and Sánchez. Monzón then entered and announced that he was forming the new junta. Historian Piero Gleijeses stated that Peurifoy was rough with Díaz at the meeting, berating him for allowing Árbenz to criticize the U.S. in his resignation speech. Díaz later stated that Peurifoy had presented him with a list of names, and demanded that all of them be shot by the next day, because they were communists; Díaz had refused, turning Peurifoy further against him. Gleijeses maintains that Peurifoy compelled Díaz to allow Monzón to become president, as Monzón was more staunchly anti-communist. The other members of Monzón's junta were José Luis Cruz Salazar and Mauricio Dubois.Life magazine described Monzón as having "a more impressive anti-Communist record" than Díaz.
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