José Alberto Medrano (2 November 1917 – 23 March 1985) was a Salvadoran general who, starting in the 1960s, headed the

National Security Agency of El Salvador The National Security Agency of El Salvador (, abbreviated as ANSESAL) was the national intelligence agency of El Salvador during the History of El Salvador (1931–1979), military regime and the Salvadoran Civil War, civil war. The organizatio ...

(ANSESAL) and the Nationalist Democratic Organization (ORDEN), a paramilitary group supported by the

Green Berets The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service Berets of the United States Army, headgear, is a branch of the United States Army United States Army Special Operations Comm ...

. ORDEN was later accused by

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

of using "clandestine terror against government opponents."

Early life

Medrano was born on November 2, 1917 in

San Salvador San Salvador () is the Capital city, capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its San Salvador Department, eponymous department. It is the country's largest agglomeration, serving as the country's political, cultural, educational and fin ...

, El Salvador. On April 10, 1946, he married a woman named Marta Ruth Nuila.

Career

Medrano became Chief of the National Guard of El Salvador sometime prior to 1962, when he created the ORDEN death squad, in addition to the Salvadoran National Security Agency. In El Salvador, he is sometimes considered the father of the country’s death squads. In 1969, he participated in the

Football War The Football War (), also known as the Soccer War or the 100 Hour War, was a brief military conflict fought between El Salvador and Honduras in 1969. Existing tensions between the two countries coincided with rioting during a 1970 FIFA World ...

with Honduras, crossing the border on a donkey disguised as a monk. He retired sometime prior to 1985.

Death

Medrano was killed in San Salvador on March 23, 1985. He was shot as he arrived at a theater by suspected leftist guerillas.

References

External links

History Commons
"Profile: Jose Alberto “Chele” Medrano." Accessed 25 November 2008. {{DEFAULTSORT:Medrano, Jose Alberto People of the Salvadoran Civil War Salvadoran military personnel 1917 births 1985 deaths Candidates for President of El Salvador