Series VII. Salvadoran Kidnappings and Negotiations, 1979-1981

On September 21, 1979, Beckman Instruments executives Dennis MacDonald and Fausto Bucheli, and their driver were ambushed by terrorists near the company's Aplar manufacturing plant in San Salvador, El Salvador. The driver was killed in the attack, and MacDonald and Bucheli were taken hostage. Identifying themselves as the Revolutionary Party of Central American Workers, a left-wing organization seeking to overthrow Salvadoran President Carlos Romero, the kidnappers contacted Beckman Instruments and demanded that the company publish a political manifesto in a number of newspapers and pay ransom in exchange for the hostages. After a series of negotiations, Beckman Instruments complied with the demands by publishing the kidnapper's manifesto in more than thirty newspapers and paying an undisclosed ransom. After being held captive for forty-seven days, MacDonald and Bucheli were released unharmed by the kidnappers on November 8, 1979. Largely in response to this incident, citing El Salvador's instability, Beckman Instruments shut down its Salvadoran operation by the end of the year.

Arranged alphabetically by subject, this series documents Beckman Instrument's handling of the Salvadoran kidnapping crisis and its aftermath as events unfolded. The materials in this series also document the news media's extensive coverage of the crisis and provide a first-hand look at the development of Beckman Instruments' strategy for dealing with the press. This series also serves as a case study of the dangers encountered by international corporations doing business in unstable countries during the late 1970s.

The contents of the files in this series consist of a variety of materials. Correspondence, briefings, notes, and clippings are found in these files. Press releases and photographs are preserved in these files as well.