El Salvador (SLV)Central America, AmericasJanuary 25, 1961
Event Summary
On January 25, 1961 conservative Salvadoran officers led by Colonel Anibal Portillo overthrew the reformist six member Junta of Government installed the previous October, in a countercoup driven by fears of Cuban and communist influence over the junta's civilian members. The new regime, the Civic-Military Directory, declared itself firmly anti-communist, imposed brief martial law, promised elections, and signaled close cooperation with the United States, which weighed delaying recognition so the new government would not appear a US creation. The deposed junta's members were exiled.
Lieutenant Colonel Julio Adalberto Rivera emerged as the Directory's leading figure; the Directory dissolved on January 25, 1962, appointing Eusebio Rodolfo Cordon Cea provisional president, and Rivera, running unopposed for the new National Conciliation Party, won the 1962 election and took office that July, beginning the PCN's rule that lasted until 1979.
Researched Details
Researched
Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.
Target identified in Coup Atlas research: The six member Junta of Government of three officers and three civilians was deposed and its members were exiled; none were reported physically harmed.
RESEARCHED NAME
Key figures
Anibal Portillo (colonel, countercoup leader)
Julio Adalberto Rivera (lieutenant colonel, Directory leader and later president)
Cesar Yanes Urias (head of the deposed junta)
Fabio Castillo Figueroa (deposed junta civilian member viewed by the military as pro-Castro)
Eusebio Rodolfo Cordon Cea (provisional president appointed in 1962)
Sources
The 1961 Salvadoran coup was a successful countercoup led by Colonel Anibal Portillo on 25 January 1961 against the short-lived Junta of Government, replacing the reformist junta with an ardently anti-communist government named the Civic-Military Directory, with motives driven by military fears of a communist takeover and the junta's perceived sympathies toward communist and Cuban influence.
A US memorandum recorded that on January 25, 1961 a military coup overthrew the junta that had assumed power on October 26, 1960 and replaced it with a Civilian Military Directorate, that the junta had shown signs of favoring or being susceptible to the growth of Cuban and communist strength, and that Washington considered deferring recognition until other Latin American governments recognized first.
SOURCE REVIEWEDForeign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963, Volumes X, XI, XII microfiche supplement, Document 113open source ↗
The Junta of Government ended after the 1961 coup overthrew it and all its members were exiled; the Civic-Military Directory was established in its place by military officers.
SOURCE REVIEWEDWikipedia, Junta of Government (El Salvador)open source ↗
Lieutenant Colonel Julio Adalberto Rivera Carballo served as chairman of the new junta and promised elections for 1962; the junta dissolved on 25 January 1962 with Eusebio Rodolfo Cordon Cea appointed provisional president, and in the 1962 election the newly formed National Conciliation Party ran unopposed, its candidate Rivera becoming president on 1 July 1962.
SOURCE REVIEWEDWikipedia, Military dictatorship in El Salvadoropen source ↗
Editorial Note
Linked pair: this countercoup ended the junta installed by the October 26, 1960 coup, id 09210261960 in this atlas, completing the junta then counterjunta arc. Martial law was reported in force from January 25 to 30, 1961. Dataset fate deposed; not physically harmed matches the junta members' exile without reported physical harm. Civic-Military Directory is retained with its hyphen as a proper name.
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:
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: The six member Junta of Government of three officers and three civilians was deposed and its members were exiled; none were reported physically harmed..
Baseline coding: Incumbent executive removed from power. Recorded leader fate: deposed; 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
“Salvador Regime Toppled by Army,” January 26, 1961
“Salvador Ruled Under Army Law,” by Paul Kennedy, January 27, 1961
“Salvador Ruled under Army Law...” January 27, 1961
“PARTIES PRESSING SALVADOR JUNTA; Ouster of Civilian Members of Regime Demanded – Capital Is Calm,” by Paul P. Kennedy, January 30, 1961
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 →