Coup Atlas Research Database
← Back to explorer
16009221962AttemptedMilitary coup

Argentina, 1962 — military coup attempt

Argentina (ARG)South America, AmericasSeptember 22, 1962

Event Summary

The dataset records an attempted military coup in Argentina on 22 September 1962, at the start of the Azules versus Colorados conflict, the armed confrontation within the Argentine armed forces that erupted after the March 1962 overthrow of President Arturo Frondizi. With the weak civilian Jose Maria Guido nominally in office, the army split between the Azul faction, which favored a return to constitutional rule and a controlled reintegration of Peronism, and the hardline anti-Peronist Colorado faction, which wanted continued military tutelage. The confrontation broke into open fighting from 22 September 1962, with tanks and troops maneuvering around Buenos Aires, and ended in victory for the Azules under General Juan Carlos Ongania.

The clashes did not remove Guido, who remained the figurehead president, but they reshaped the balance of military power and set the course toward the 1963 elections that brought Arturo Illia to the presidency.

Researched Details

Researched

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

Target identified in Coup Atlas research: Figurehead President Jose Maria Guido remained in office through the Azules versus Colorados clashes, which the Azul faction won
RESEARCHED NAME
Key figures
Jose Maria Guido (figurehead president of Argentina, nominal target)
Azul and Colorado army factions (combatants)
Juan Carlos Ongania (Azul leader)

Sources

The Azules and Colorados were two factions of the Argentine Army that confronted each other in armed clashes in 1962 and 1963 during the presidency of the figurehead Jose Maria Guido.
SOURCE REVIEWED Wikipedia, Azules and Colorados open source ↗
The first armed confrontation between the factions began on 22 September 1962, with the Azul faction favoring a return to constitutional rule and the Colorado faction favoring hardline anti-Peronist military tutelage.
SOURCE REVIEWED Wikipedia, Azules and Colorados open source ↗
Jose Maria Guido had become president in March 1962 after the military removed Arturo Frondizi, serving as a civilian figurehead under military domination.
SOURCE REVIEWED Wikipedia, Jose Maria Guido open source ↗
The Azul faction, led by General Juan Carlos Ongania, prevailed in the confrontations and steered the country toward the 1963 elections that brought Arturo Illia to the presidency.
SOURCE REVIEWED Wikipedia, Azules and Colorados open source ↗

Editorial Note

Date match to the 22 September 1962 start of the Azules versus Colorados armed confrontation. Dataset codes it a military coup; it was an intra military faction war under the figurehead Guido. Pairs with the Argentina 1962-12-12 and 1963-04-02 records in this batch.

Cross-Reference

Datasets agree. At least two of the three reference datasets we check against carry this event, and none of them disagrees about its date or its result.

Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:

Cline Center id
16009221962
Albrecht/Koehler/Schutz (CAM) id
CAM-160-1962-09-19-2

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

Outcome and Target

Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: Figurehead President Jose Maria Guido remained in office through the Azules versus Colorados clashes, which the Azul faction won.

Baseline coding: Coup attempt failed to remove the incumbent. 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 Herald Tribune

“THE WAR FOR ARGENTINA: Guido On Top 4 Rebels’ Win Jets Decisive,” September 23, 1962

Chicago Daily Tribune

“HERE’S WHAT LED TO STRIFE IN ARGENTINA: LINGERING ILLS BEHIND CRISIS IN ARGENTINA,” September 23, 1962

South China Sunday Post - Herald

“FANTASTIC SWITCH IN ARGENTINA: Buenos Aires, Sept. 22,” September 23, 1962

The Austin Statesman

“Troops Switch Sides In Argentina’s Crisis: ’Rebels’Now Battle To Save Pres. Guido,” SamSummerlin, September 22, 1962

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 →

Know something about this event?
Tips are reviewed against sources before anything is added.