In September 1956 , Somoza Garcia was fatally shot by a young dissident poet , Rigoberto López Pérez , and was succeeded in the presidency by his elder son , Luis Somoza Debayle , while his youngest son Anastasio Somoza Debayle , a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point became the Chief Director of the National Guard . Brutal repression of the internal political opposition followed suit . In 1957 , the National Guard was involved in the only external military action of its existence , a brief border skirmish with Honduras . In 1961 , the National Guard cooperated with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency in the preparation for the abortive Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba , permitting its bases to be used for training and staging areas . From May 1965 to September 1966 , one infantry company of the National Guard participated in a peacekeeping operation in the Dominican Republic alongside U.S. , Brazilian , Paraguayan , Honduran and Costa Rican troops as part of the Interamerican Pacification Force ( FIP ) , deployed under the aegis of the Organization of American States ( OAS ) . The guard 's domestic power , however , gradually broadened to embrace not only its original internal security and police functions but also control over customs , telecommunications , port facilities , radio broadcasting , the merchant marine , and civil aviation . Even as trusted friends of the family succeeded Luis in the presidency , his brother remained firmly in control of the National Guard . Eventually , in 1967 , Anastasio himself was elected president ; Luis soon died of a heart attack , leaving Anastasio in sole control . Without his brother 's technocratic influence , Anastasio 's corrupt ways were unrestrained . The 1972 Nicaragua earthquake , which severely damaged the capital of Managua , brought further evidence of corruption , as members of the National Guard openly looted damaged businesses and misappropriated international aid , and Somoza Debayle 's personal wealth soared during the reconstruction period . In 1974 , the growing Sandinista movement FSLN ( named after the assassinated Sandino ) succeeded in forcing the government to accept an amnesty , after which Somoza Debayle declared a state of siege and the National Guard launched a violent and repressive reaction in the period 1975-76 . Though the FSLN was weakened , so was the regime
1972 Nicaragua earthquake
1972 Nicaragua earthquake
National Guard (Nicaragua)