Newly declassified U.S. government documents released on 25th anniversary of FENASTRAS massacre

On October 31, 1989, a powerful bomb exploded at the headquarters of the labor federation FENASTRAS in El Salvador’s capital, San Salvador. The explosion ripped through the cafeteria, claiming the lives of nine people and leaving some forty others gravely injured. Among the dead were cafeteria workers, activists, and union leaders, including Febe Elizabeth Velásquez, a 27-year-old who was the first female Secretary General of FENASTRAS and an internationally recognized leader in the Salvadoran social movements. A full list of those killed follows, including photos of some of the victims.

Ricardo Humberto Cestoni, Secretary of the ANDA Company Workers’ Union (SETA); Rosa Hilda Saravia de Elías, member of the Textile Workers’ Union STITAS; Julia Tatiana Mendoza Aguirre, member of the Culinary Union STITGASC; Vicente Melgar, Secretary of Social Aid for SETA; José Daniel López Meléndez, member of SETA and FENASTRAS Grievance Secretary; Luis Gerardo Vásquez, member of the General Bank Employees’ Union (SIGEBAN); Febe Elizabeth Velásquez, member of the Executive Committee of National Workers’ Unity (UNTS) and General Secretary of FENASTRAS; María Magdalena Sánchez, student and STITAS member; and Carmen Hernández, FENASTRAS cafeteria worker.

This brutal attack was one of many perpetrated against trade unionists throughout the armed conflict in El Salvador. It was the third bombing of FENASTRAS’ headquarters in 1989, though two previous attempts resulted in no casualties. It took place in the context of a rash of violent attacks late in the war. The same day as the attack on FENASTRAS, a bomb exploded in the offices of el Comité de Madres y Familiares de Presos, Desaparecidos y Asesinados Políticos de El Salvador (COMADRES), a human rights organization of victms’ families. And sixteen days later, the six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter were gunned down on the campus of the Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas, a massacre that galvanized worldwide attention to the problems of state violence in El Salvador.

Despite the government’s formation of a Special Investigative Unit, the FENASTRAS massacre was never fully investigated, and today survivors continue to press for truth and justice. Each year, Salvadoran labor organizations celebrate October 31st as the “Day of the Unionist.” For this year’s 25th anniversary, the Febe Elizabeth Velásquez Association, ASOFEBE, has organized three days of activities to commemorate the victims of the FENASTRAS bombing.

Newly declassified documents:

In the hopes of contributing to a more full understanding of this historic event, Unfinished Sentences and the University of Washington Center for Human Rights filed a FOIA request with U.S. Government agencies for documents relating to FENASTRAS and the October 1989 bomb attack. This request has resulted in the declassification of 6 documents: 1 from the CIA, 1 from the Defense Intelligence Agency, and four from the Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador.

The documents reveal the U.S. Government’s close attention to developments relating to the bombing and labor rights in El Salvador; as well as the mindset of officials at the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador, who display suspicion regarding the credibility and motives of FENASTRAS in relation to the bombing.

For assistance in interpreting these declassified documents, see the National Security Archive’s guide to State Department diplomatic cables. Each document includes an appended Spanish translation.

FENASTRAS-DIA-Oct89
Date: October 31, 1989
Brief Defense Intelligence Agency cable reporting a “car bomb” attack at the headquarters of FENASTRAS, citing at least seven dead and 15-20 wounded. Several sections redacted.

FENASTRAS-CIA-C06225264
Date: January 12, 1990
Excerpt from the internal CIA publication “Latin America Review [REDACTED]”, dated January 1990. The section “El Salvador Chronology [REDACTED], October-December 1989” includes four entries relating to FENASTRAS and the bombing. Heavily redacted, with most redactions justified as “non-responsive”, or content unrelated to the FOIA request.

FENASTRAS-DoS-C05626334
Date: February 1, 1990
Subject: HUMAN RIGHTS INQUIRY: 92 LABOR CASES
Response to a letter of concern submitted to the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador by Senator Christopher J. Dodd regarding 92 cases of FENASTRAS members detained by the security forces of El Salvador. Embassy officials offer specific details of many of these cases, concluding that the majority of detentions have been handled appropriately by the security forces.

FENASTRAS-DoS-C05635814
Date: February 7, 1990
Subject: FENASTRAS REITERATES INTEREST IN REOPENING BOMB INVESTIGATION – ACTION REQUEST: PARA 5
Report on meetings with FENASTRAS leaders regarding re-opening investigations of the October 1989 bombing. Notable for request that the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador receive a copy of FBI investigators’ report on their examination of the site of the bombing.

FENASTRAS-DoS-C05635812
Date: October 11, 1990
Subject: FENASTRAS PROMISES NEW EVIDENCE ON 10/31/89 BOMBING – DOESN’T DELIVER
Report on meetings with FENASTRAS leaders regarding re-opening investigations of the October 1989 bombing, following successes of the governmental investigation of the assassinations of the Jesuits. Expresses view that FENASTRAS is intent on “politicizing” the bombing.

FENASTRAS-DoS-C05635811
Date: November 7, 1990
Subject: MASS, MARCH, AND RALLY COMMEMORATING FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF FENASTRAS BOMBING
Report on the October 1990 commemoration of the first anniversary of the FENASTRAS bombing. Notable for the skeptical tone of the report, and focus on analysis of political differences among the organizations represented in the commemoration.