US intelligence misjudged Barre as not coup-minded before the takeover

Evidence

It appears that everyone underestimated Barre and the possibility of a coup. “[Barre] himself is not at all coup-minded and views his role as a kind of a safety valve on top of the hotheads in the lower ranks.” US Department of State, Airgram A-15. — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 1511