• El Salvador
    1981 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses

    • The new Junta felt that it could be instrumental in changing conditions in El Salvador for the better. But matters did not work out as hoped, as Rubén explained:

      “Things did not go as we planned. Shortly after we came to power, the archbishop called me. He said that he wanted to talk to the Junta in private, and that the discussion should be kept secret.

      “The archbishop told us, in effect: ‘You are a new government and I am in position to support this government from the pulpit. In return, you can support us.’

      “We knew what he was talking about. From the records available to us, we knew that Catholic religious institutions had been receiving financial support from the previous government. The archbishop obviously was interested in seeing a continuation of such considerations to the Church by our new government.

      “I was a Catholic, but I could see that such preferential treatment was not proper; it was not constitutional. The other members of the Junta agreed. So the six of us refused to provide the Church financial support. The archbishop was visibly upset and suggested that we would regret our decision.

      “Shortly, a campaign started from church pulpits. The priests asserted that our government was pro-Castro and pro-Communist. We had tapes made of these talks, so we knew the charges being made. But we felt it might do more harm than good to suppress this campaign, since the Church carried much weight with many.

      “An adverse effect on our government was soon felt. There came to be suspicion about our political orientation. The United States was concerned and withheld recognition of us. But what were the facts?

      “In time the Church-sponsored charges were seen to be unfounded, and the United States extended us recognition. The New York Times of December 1, 1960, said:

      “‘The tendency to see communism and the new appeal of “Fidelismo” in every drive for political and social change in Latin America is a dangerous one. . . .

      “‘The three civilian members of the junta, despite loose accusations of “Fidelismo,” are liberals and democrats. . . . All six men have pledged themselves to a democratic program and they deserve every chance to prove their goodwill.’

      “Despite the vindication, great harm to our credibility had been done by the Church-sponsored vilification campaign. And when the army learned of the Junta’s intention of taking it out of the political situation, it also began to oppose the Junta. So the following year our new six-man government was overthrown and replaced by another government.”