Coup Atlas Research Database
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16002031952ConspiracyDissident coup

Argentina, 1952 — dissident coup conspiracy

Argentina (ARG)South America, AmericasFebruary 3, 1952

Event Summary

The dataset records an event coded as a dissident counter-coup conspiracy in Argentina on 3 February 1952, during the second presidency of Juan Peron. The coded date falls in the aftermath of the abortive armed forces revolt led by General Benjamin Menendez in September 1951 and shortly after Peron's re-election in November 1951, at a time when Eva Peron was gravely ill; she died in July 1952. United States diplomatic records of this period noted numerous reports of revolutionary plots against the regime and continuing plots to overthrow it, and a history of the era includes a chapter on the failed coup of 1952.

The coded February 1952 conspiracy fits the pattern of anti-Peronist military plotting bracketed by the failed September 1951 revolt and the later escalating confrontations, which culminated in the June 1955 bombing of the Plaza de Mayo and the successful Revolucion Libertadora that overthrew Peron in September 1955.

Researched Details

Researched

Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.

Target identified in Coup Atlas research: President Juan Peron survived the plotting of this period; he was overthrown only in September 1955
RESEARCHED NAME
Key figures
Juan Peron (president of Argentina, target)
Anti-Peronist military officers (plotters)
General Benjamin Menendez (leader of the earlier failed September 1951 revolt)

Sources

Since the abortive armed forces revolt of September 1951, the Peron regime was markedly cool toward military cooperation with the United States.
SOURCE REVIEWED U.S. State Department, FRUS 1952-54 vol. IV open source ↗
United States estimates noted numerous reports of revolutionary plots aimed at Peron and continuing plots to overthrow the regime through 1952.
SOURCE REVIEWED U.S. State Department, FRUS 1952-54 vol. IV open source ↗
A history of the period by Antonio Luis Sapienza Fracchia includes a chapter titled The Failed Coup of 1952, alongside the death of the first lady Eva Peron in July 1952.
SOURCE REVIEWED IPMS/USA, Revolucion Libertadora Volume 1 review open source ↗
Anti-Peronist military plotting escalated over the following years, culminating in the June 1955 bombing of the Plaza de Mayo and the successful Revolucion Libertadora that overthrew Peron in September 1955.
SOURCE REVIEWED IPMS/USA, Revolucion Libertadora Volume 1 review open source ↗

Editorial Note

No discrete plot precisely on 3 February 1952 was found in accessible English sources this session; the entry records the dataset's coding and the verified context of anti-Peronist military plotting in early 1952, bracketed by the failed September 1951 Menendez revolt and the eventual 1955 overthrow. The counter-coup coding reflects an anti-Peronist plot answering the regime's consolidation.

Cross-Reference

Only one dataset carries it. One of the three reference datasets we check against carries this event; the others do not list it. That is not a contradiction — the datasets cover different periods and use different thresholds — but it means the record has had less outside corroboration.

Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:

Cline Center id
16002031952

How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.

Outcome and Target

Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: President Juan Peron survived the plotting of this period; he was overthrown only in September 1955.

Baseline coding: Plot discovered and disrupted before execution. Recorded leader fate: remained in office; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.

Baseline Dataset Citation

Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset, v2.2.2
Peyton, Buddy, Joseph Bajjalieh, Michael Martin, and Andrea Gerald. 2026. Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset. Cline Center for Advanced Social Research. V.2.2.2. February 17. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. doi: 10.13012/B2IDB-9651987_V10
⚑ This citation establishes the coded baseline record; use the claim-level sources above for the researched narrative.

Baseline Source-Document Entries

New York Times

“ARGENTINES SMASH PLOT:30 to 50 Persons Are Arrested For Planning To Oust Per On,”February 5, 1952
“Argentine Officer Seized as Plotter: Suarez, Ex-Chief of Staff, Among 100 Held in Perons’ Assassination Move,” February 6, 1952

This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →

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