[Editor’s note: The text for this document was released in 2014 by the now-defunct Wikileaks website at https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1979PANAMA00052_e.html. This URL may be available through the Wayback Machine.]
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PANAMA 00052 032126Z
ACTION L-03
INFO OCT-01 ARA-11 ISO-00 JUSE-00 EB-08 SPTA-02 CIAE-00 INR-10 NSAE-00 /035 W
——————064197 040559Z /17
R 032111Z JAN 78 [79]
FM AMEMBASSY PANAMA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 0446
LIMITED OFFICIAL USE PANAMA 00052
EO 12065: N/A TAGS: PGOV, PN
SUBJECT: DELIVERY OF SWISS JUDICIAL ASSISTANCE TREATY TO PANAMANIAN BANKING COMMISSIONER
REF: 78 STATE 325000
1. EMBASSY DID NOT RAISE SUBJECT OF US-SWISS JUDICIAL ASSISTANCE TREATY WITH PANAMANIAN BANKING COMMISSIONER DURING HERGEN’S VISIT IN ORDER TO KEEP FOCUS OF ATTENTION ON PEOPLES TEMPLE ACCOUNTS IN PANAMANIAN BANKS. WE SHALL GIVE COPY OF US-SWISS JUDICIAL ASSISTANCE TREATY TO PANAMANIAN BANKING COMMISSIONER ON EARLY APPROPRIATE OCCASION AND WILL COMMENT ALONG LINES SUGGESTED REFTEL. AS DISCUSSIONS OF A JUDICIAL ASSISTANCE TREATY BETWEEN PANAMA AND THE US WOULD INVOLVE OTHER GOP MINISTRIES, SOME OF WHICH HAVE A GREATER RESPONSIBILITY IN THIS AREA THAN THE PANAMANIAN BANKING COMMISSION, EMBASSY WILL ALSO HAVE TO TAKE SOUNDINGS WITH OTHER GOP OFFICIALS.
2. ACTION REQUIRED: EMBASSY WOULD APPRECIATE FIVE ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THE US-SWISS JUDICIAL ASSISTANCE TREATY AND OTHER INFORMAL MATERIAL FOR USE WITH GOP OFFICIALS IN ADDITION TO THE PANAMANIAN BANKING COMMISSIONER.
MOSS [Ambler H. Moss, Jr., U.S. Ambassador to Panama]
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