{"id":"k51l8uk","internal_id":"c6231c2b-b2e4-482a-a0be-091647c58198","links":{"img_thumbnail":"https://digital.sciencehistory.org/downloads/deriv/igyctm0/thumb_large_2X?disposition=inline","html_self":"https://digital.sciencehistory.org/works/k51l8uk"},"title":"Beckman El Salvador Kidnap Communications Program","additional_title":["Program A4, Crisis Communications"],"format":["text"],"genre":["Records (Documents)"],"medium":[],"extent":[],"language":["English"],"provenance":"","subject":["Beckman Instruments, Inc.","El Salvador--History--Coup d'état, 1979","El Salvador--Politics and government--1944-1979","Political kidnapping","El Salvador--History--1979-1992","Hostage negotiations","Ransom"],"department":"Archives","series_arrangement":["Series VII. Salvadoran Kidnappings and Negotiations"],"rights":"http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/","rights_holder":"Danaher Corporation","digitization_funder":"","file_creator":"Auerbach, Jahna","description":" Beckman's internal communication strategy regarding the 1979 kidnapping of two Beckman employees.\n\nBeckman Instruments had a subsidiary company and manufacturing plant called Aplar in El Salvador. In 1979 the country was on the brink of a civil war that would ultimately span three decades. On September 21, 1979, the manager of the Aplar plant, Dennis McDonald, and a Beckman Instruments engineer, Fausto Bucheli, were kidnapped by members of the guerrilla movement and held for ransom. The terms of their release were the payment of a ransom as well as publication of a manifesto in various newspapers worldwide. Beckman Instruments paid the ransom and published the manifesto, leading to the release of the hostages after forty-seven days of captivity. ","description_html":"<p> Beckman's internal communication strategy regarding the 1979 kidnapping of two Beckman employees.</p>\n\n<p>Beckman Instruments had a subsidiary company and manufacturing plant called Aplar in El Salvador. In 1979 the country was on the brink of a civil war that would ultimately span three decades. On September 21, 1979, the manager of the Aplar plant, Dennis McDonald, and a Beckman Instruments engineer, Fausto Bucheli, were kidnapped by members of the guerrilla movement and held for ransom. The terms of their release were the payment of a ransom as well as publication of a manifesto in various newspapers worldwide. Beckman Instruments paid the ransom and published the manifesto, leading to the release of the hostages after forty-seven days of captivity. </p>","published_at":"2026-11-13T18:26:59Z","updated_at":"2026-11-13T18:26:59Z","creator":[{"category":"creator_of_work","value":"Beckman Instruments, Inc."}],"date_of_work":[{"start":"1980","start_qualifier":"","finish":"","finish_qualifier":"","note":"","formatted":"1980"}],"place":[],"inscription":[],"related_link":[],"additional_credit":[],"physical_container":{"box":"48","folder":"27","volume":"","part":"","page":"","shelfmark":"","reel":"","formatted":"Box 48, Folder 27"}}