on giving us a separate thread and bringing in the Ucko comments.

FSO, I really overlooked Vides. He was a really impressive guy and, when we briefed Pres Duarte on the Combined ESAF Assessment, Vides was the only person in a room fulll of senior gringos and Salvadorans who was able to answer Pres Duarte's question about whether the govt was winning the war. (Vides answered in the affirmative, correctly IMO.) I never got to know Blandon but I would agree with your assesment. I also agree that Vides got a raw deal from the USG in those suits. Amb Corr, to his everlasting credit, went out ofhis way to testify for Vides.

I also agree with you on Ponce. The Truth Commission report clearly leaves much to be desired. In general, it accepts as true any allegation about ESAF crimes without investigation but invstigated allegations of FMLN crimes and/or lumped them together while treating each allegation against ESAF individually and as true.

Finally, regarding Benavides, my sources tell me he was responsible - but he had been stashed at the Academy because he was considered to be among the least comptent of his Tanda mates - but he was a known hard liner. The problem was that whe San Salvador was underattack he had responibility for the defense of the sites you indicate and TACON of the Atlacatl for purposes of site defense. Motive and opportunity.

Cheers

JohnT