[Editor’s notes: The transcripts of these documents retain their original spellings, with corrections noted only where necessary for clarity.]
G-2-a-6
CUBAN EMBASSY (2/27/78)
– Sharon (I had to turn in my autobiography so that we can see it Christa and I would get a free trip to Cuba if Christa needs an operation
– everyone else went with Marcie to her appt
– I did ask if he had heard anything about us and told him we heard a rumor that there was some feeling about us being an embarrassment to the US (I told him about QSLing [written confirmations of HAM radio contact] etc.), he said he agreed that was true
– I asked if he thought there was any tie up with foreign aid and us (Daniel Salas Vice-Counsel whom I talked to) said he talks to Dr. [Ptolemy] Reid/ he said he thinks that the IMF [International Monetary Fund] would make some conditions that Guyana will move more to Capitalism and would ask certain economic things such as devaluation and that certain things be invested in and certain things not but he didn’t think that PT would be included in such a deal as he didn’t think they would move into areas that involve political and social aspects that word loosely tied to economics in Guyana
– he felt that we were secure in Guyana now and wouldn’t be thrown out or any such thing
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G-2-a-5
Yesterday, Wednesday, March 15, a situation occured at Tacuba Lodge which is an apartment building where people who work at various embassies live. Bob and I went there to procure and when we got in, we met a man who I had spoken with before somewhere (a Cuban by the name of Hernandez) he works at the Cuban Embassy and Bob and I met him before when we were out doing our work and we happened to stop by the house of the Cuban Doctors. Anyway, he works at the embassy and is not an ambassador nor a main administrator. He told us to come up to his apartment, and we could talk to him there. After we spoke to him for a few minutes, he gave us a donation of 10.00[.] Then we left out of his apartment and passed by some others and we thought it would be a good opportunity to get some large donations so we went to one apartment and they said to come back in a few minutes because they were in the shower so then we went to the next apartment who was a man from the Irish Embassy and he got upset that someone had gotten into the building and got through the security. He said that anyone that goes up to the apartments is supposed to go through the security first and that the security is supposed to call up there and let them know. So he went with us down to the lobby and was asking the securiy guard about how we got in and the guard explained that we went in with the Cuban. The Irish man said that we had used Mr. Hernandez to get in the building so that we could go around in the building. We were very apologetic over and over and said that if we would have known that it was going to cause all of this trouble we wouldn’t have come in the first place. The manager who was there also, a young East Indian woman was very nice and stood up for us. She said that she had met the Smalls, some peoole who came to our party. Apparently they had spoken well of us. The Irish man was very indignant and wanted our phone number and Adress. He called the house and spoke to Tim Carter. He asked if we lived there and Tim verified it. Then the man calmed down a little and said that we could go and that it was okay. I was worried about the fact that this may have cause some problems in our relations with the Cubans and us. But afterwards the Irish man was polite to the Cuban man and thanked him for coming down to speak with him. I don’t think there will be any problems. That same night, last night, the head administrator came over with his wife for a visit and was very kind. He has come over and visited before. His name is Alfredo. He is the head administrator at the cuban Embassy.
From Bob Stroud
Date: March 1978
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G-2-b-1
Cuban Embassy
12/4/78 [April 12, 1978]
(Debbie [Touchette], Sharon [Amos], Mike [Prokes]
– we were planning to meet Daniel Salas but Alfriedo Ferreria spoke to us outside the Embassy/ I didn’t know it but there are a couple that live next door that are US CIB? and the guard was outside tho not near by
– we asked him about the IMF [International Monetary Fund] and he said he didn’t know about that. We asked if the USSR was likely to give aid to Guyana. He said that would be the point of the talks but that the USSR would want assurances because they helped [Anwar] Sadat in Egypt and then Egypt went right wing. He said it was significant that [Guyana Prime Minister Forbes] Burnham took the step to go to USSR
– I asked what the requirements would be of Burnham in light of the [Guyana opposition leader Cheddi] Jagan/Burnham problem. He said they would probably require a coalition but he didn’t know if Burnham would go along with it
– he said that USSR was closer to Jagan than they were to us (Cuban Embassy or Cuba)
(he said why are you asking me this, you talk to [Guyana Foreign Minister Fred] Wills, what did he tell you. I said, How do you know he told us, he said “he told me”)
– he said you people go door to door, and you talk to people, you talk to ministers of government and so you should know the trends
– we asked him what he thought of the crisis right now with lights, water etc. and the reaction of the people. He said that Guyana is very different from Cuba, that it makes it difficult when there is a govt. under the name of “socialism” – it is not that clearcut what will develop
– he said there is a division in govt. between right and left and it’s hard to know (he said Wills probably told you that)
– we said that’s what we are worried about
– we asked him (if it goes right) would Cuba take us/ he said “wouldnt you take a stand”/ they’d expect you to take a stand
– we said probably so but we’d like safety for our children and old people
– he said “that’s how we are in Cuba, the children and old people come first
– I said that we had carried along with us old people, not because they’d be productive, but merely out of humanitarian concern
– he said he understood and agreed
– we said, How would we go about arranging it, he said, it can be done fast if it was necessary, we’re used to in Cuba doing things fast like that
– we asked if anything could be processed before hand and he didn’t exactly say no but didn’t give an answer except to say that it could be done fast when the emergency arose
– he said in the case of the Chileans, they were well-qualified and there was no problems with their getting jobs as they had skills and they didn’t want to take welfare/ I said we were well qualified too and had some assets so we wouldnt live off them
– he had some criticisms of our program tho he said he enjoyed it/ said it was too long and it started ½ hour late (said we should have made an announcement at 8:15 telling the reason why it was ate [late] and when it would start)
– also he said the speeches (Mike’s and Marcie’s) were too long and some people didn’t come prepared to hear that kind of thing and he heard some mumbling about it (tho wouldn’t tell us how many or who) – he said it might have been good to have a dramatic skit about our views, about socialism etc. to get the point across as more effective than just words
– he said he could see the usefulness for us of the speeches but once we get talking about our project we really talk
– he said that we didn’t go by what was on the program (last-minute changes) I said we were planning to show slides (which would have been visual) but the machine broke down/ he said that would have been good and he had expected that
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G-2-a-3a
CUBAN EMBASSY
DEBORAH TOUCHETTE
APRIL 17, 1978
DANIEL [SALAS]/ WITH MIKE PROKES
TIM CARTER
DEBORAH TOUCHETTE
– Daniel said we always ask the questions, but it should be a give and take situation,
– He asked if we were having difficulties now, in terms of our stability in Guyana?
– Mike told him as socialist[s], we plan ahead, like Russia, Cuba, and progressive socialist people plan ahead.
– Daniel asked Mike to be frank with him, because it was his own analysis that we were concerned about our stability in Guyana, looking at these three things
– 1) Relationship with the U.S.
– 2) Economic situation
– 3) Movement in Cabnet… not stable
– He asked if we saw Guyana as a progressive country
– Mike said yes, but with an economic crisis
– Daniel said he wasn’t certain about a coalition, the last thing between Jagen [Guyana political opposition leader Cheddi Jagan] & [Guyana Prime Minister Forbes] Burnham, very dischuraging (ref. to Cheddie walking our of Parliment)
– he said no president [precedent] has been set for groups comming to stay in Cuba
– he has preservations [reservations] about the P.T. approach to Soc. One should not engage in such a closed range approcah to a political enviroment. You have enjoyed the hospitality, you should participate in Guyanas political struggles.
– he said he’s speaking about this, not as something he disrespects, but something like Thomas Maro [More] who left with a group to an etopian [utopian] island because he saw that the capitalist system brought on some injustices. No one ruled in this group, no private wealth, everyone rotated in responsibilities, a perfect socity, no race,
– It was a great attempt, and we have some resemblence, but this is not exactly the way the socity should be changed, we should not just include ourselves. we should try to get involved with the real contradictions that are in the socity.
– said hes not telling us to do this in Guyana. but this is the way it should be in a new socity, said we worry to much about ourselves not what surrounds us.
– Mike told of Unita Blackwell Wright, Sen. [John] Stennis, Joe Mazor…
– Daniel asked how the Guyana Courts felt about the Stoen issue?
– Mike and Tim [Stoen], we gave background on how the child came to be, and the arrest orders being illegal…
– We told him some people had commented that we were to progressive for the present socity.
– Daniel asked who had said this
– Mike said [Guyana Foreign Minister Fred] Wills, and somebody else, he couldn’t remember, said he thought it was fernandes.
– Daniel said this could be taken in two ways, it could be a warning to us, that we are further left than Guyana intends to go, or could be a compliment
– he asked how we were preparing ourselves to overcome the conspiracy?
– Mike told him about hireing Charles Geary [Garry] to defend Huey Newton, and answering point by point
– Danile said that that was the least we could do to counteract the conspiracy.
– Social Security – he didn’t think it was transferable at this time, he will check it out.
– We invited him, and he said he couldn’t come until July, said they have an independent press in Guyana, independent of the Embassy
– Daniel said personally he was supportive of us, but officially he has to remain open minded, to send infro [info] exact, to understand our worries.
– We asked why in Guyana, no one rebles?
G-2-a-3b
– He said they have no tridition, no previous example of people standing for their beliefs, the reason the riots took place in the 60’s is because they were infiltrated by the CIA. Guynese don’t like fighting.
– He agreed he didn’t think Guyana was that Socialist.
– We asked if Cuba gave aide to Guyana.
– He said Cuba has no money at all, not at all…
– (ref. to Russia giving money to Guy? He said that a socialist country would not want to give money unless they were a socialist country, “I’m not speaking of mutual benefits.
– He said, in ref to our not yealding on Larry’s [Schacht] situation and John’s [Victor Stoen] situation.
– Have you thaouth of any way around this? Have you gone to the top, have you seen the Prime Minister?
– we told him we had written, but not seen him for this
– Daniel said he thought we had some possibilities of giving ourselves established through him. He is a socialist, he says he is a socialist, the only way he would turn us down is if we were not socialist (re. to P.T.)
– Mike pointed out that it wasn’t that cut and dry.
– Tim asked him if we would be effected [affected] should the IMF [International Monetary Fund] loan be eccepted?
– Daniel said politically we may not be in the first priority, he hoped,
– He felt Jagan and Burnham were at a stand still, (impass), none can go further, said he saw no possibility of them comming together
– thaught Jagan had alot of power with the [East] Indians, but didn’t know if his positions were increasing in lieu of the present situation.
– Tim asked if they would not or could not taake all of us, would they take our children?
– Daniel said it was a possibility, If I lived in Cuba, I would say yes, that the children come to be apart [a part] of our socity. If we wished he would ask officially for this as apossibility.
– He wanted to know what conditions we sould be moving? same conditions the Cuban Embassy would move, before Cuba would move, after Cuba would move from Guyana? He said he didn’t think the request would be easily be answered.
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[Editor’s note: The document at G-2-b-2a – G-2-b-2b is a carbon copy of G-2-a-3a – G-2-a-3b.]
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G-2-b-3
Sharon Amos
Cuba 7/5/78 [May 5, 1978]
Sharon, Debbie T. [Touchette], Debbie B. [Blakey], Terri [likely Carter Jones, could be Buford]
– told him about Tim Stoen and the mercenaries and how the Medlcoks [Medlocks] are now involved in this evil and talked about they coming in to kill the relatives and us etc.
– he saw the Ukiah Daily Journal article and asked who the Editor was and I said George Hunter (hope that was OK, he could check anyway with the article but maybe I should have given it to him????)
– he checked the date April 13 and said it must have been April 11 that the relatives went to the SF PT
– he was curious about Stoen’s involvement with the CIA organization, Eureka Research Associates/ wants to know more about Stoen
– first said all he could offer was the solidarity of the cuban people
– we went further/ told about how much JJ has spoken about Cuba, has been the inspiration for us/ [Fidel] Castro and his struggle against assassins etc./ how we started having trouble after JJ went to Cuba and talked about it
– we told them if these mercenaries are successful, they could also try something against Cuba
– he said “what do you think I could do/ said he is a guest in Guyana just like we are and doesn’t really have the facilities to offer”
– I cried a little/ said it’s just that we feel alone/ here JJ has made such a committed life and there are children who have lived so strongly for socialism – he said that he had asked Cuba to consider our request to go there but hasn’t found an answer yet/ that takes time he said
– I asked if in a emergency, if it was right upon us, could they take us quickly as I have heard they’ve done that before/ he said that could be arranged
– he said he has asked about our children and/or the rest of us
– I told him we don’t even like to ask – would like to contribute wherever we go/ would like it if we could go to Mozambique or Angola or someplace like that/ at least some of us but it would be a shame if we were a target and just wiped out with no use to it
– told him how Stoen always was a provacateur/mentioned the East German article/ his counsel always being provacative
– he asked the dates that Stoen was in Guyana (Terri gave him some dates)
– we asked him if he had seen the papers about Stoen regarding John and he said he hadn’t but he has been shown them so he either forgot or wants to see them again (in light of CIA involvement of Stoen)
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[Editor’s note: The document at G-2-b-4 is a carbon copy of G-2-b-3.]
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G-2-a-4a
May 15, 1978
Deborah Touchette
Terri Jones
Daniel Sallis [Salas]
Cuban Embassy:
W/ Terri Jone
Tim Carter
Deborah Touchette
– We talked to him about the mercineries
– Tim asked about the situation with exedus and asked how it was going?
– Daniel repeated the same things of how it takes a long time and he didn’t expect an immediate answer.
– Daniel said frankley he didn’t think that we had more than a fifty percent chance that we would get aslym.
– he said maby I shouldn’t tell you this, but I think I will anyway.
– He said as far as I’m concerned, I like you, said he understood us better, but in Cuba they are lacking three things;
– a. Lack of knowledge in Cuba about P.T.
– b. Solidarity (don’t know of our solidarity with Cuba)
– then he said well just basically there is two things.
– We re-invited him to the Project
– I asked him how they could come to the conclusion that we are a true socialist community if they did not come out and see how we lived and what we were doing?
– He said he would do that, but frankly he was just waiting for clarance from Cuba to go there.
– Tim said I could hardly imagine that one thing that would infkuence is that we are United States citizens?
– He said no, no I do think so, because Cuba upholds the right to help any people anywhere regardless anywhere.
– He said that with strength and determanitation in his voice (Daniel)
– Daniel asked if we would be willing to split up, or was it one of the stipulations that we must remain as a group?
– Tim said of course we sould [would] be willing to do that, that we realize even before requesting, that we might have to do this. He mentioned that even if our children and some of our people could come, there were others who would like to go to fight somewhere lie [like] Mozambique.
– Daniel said he felt this meeting was a good one, he was glad that we had come.
– Daniel asked if he came to Jonestown, would he be able to speak to Jim Jones.
– We told him of course he would
– He said he wouldn’t want to make a trip out there and just tour and not ve [be] able to speak to Jim Jones.
– Tim asked if it would help him some if he saw slides of J/town?
– Daniel said he thought that it would. He did say that maby if he went to J/town, his opinion of Peoples Temple would change, he doubted it, said he came to that conclusion by the members he had met here in town, and meeting us at our home, seeing ten to fifteen people living in one house.
– Deb T… each time we talk to Daniel, he seems a little more open and receptive to our problems, in terms of who appears to be more receptive, as a possibility of taking us in, it seems Cuba might do it faster. Although he said less than 50%, in my opinion the percentage is on the uprise in comparison to the first few meeting we had with him, oh well, so much for optimism. I don’t think anyone really takes us seriously though, not as serious as it really is, I think at the most, they see it long term happenings, like the
G-2-a-4b
-2-
mercenery situation both embassies tend to remind us that they are only talking, we not have absolute proof, I gurss no one will untill it happens.
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G-2-a-2a
Sharon Amos
(addition: Alfriedo asked if we’d have the money for J’s ticket/ medical there would be free and we said yes/ that might be faster than Christa’s situation as we asked that her flight might be subsidized)
Cuban Embassy: 10/8/78 [August 10, 1978] (sharon & Tony)
– told Alfriedo Perreira about J’s health (Alfreido is the administrator of the Cuban Embassy/ he’s the one that argued with Paula [Adams] about why we left the US instead of fighting there, and tho we gave him arguments he still seemed to have trouble understanding in the past)
– he has come to our house for drinks and to visit a couple of times and once brought his wife
– he didn’t act shocked or anything but took the information and said he’d work on it right away
– I told him that I had requested travel for Christa to go to Cuba 6 mos. ago and never did get an answer yes or no, and I wondered if it would take this long this time
– He said I should have gotten an answer/ I said that I wasn’t concerned right now about Christa traveling as she has been in the hosp. in Georgetown but I just wondered why I didn’t get some answer even no
– he said he’d communicate with Daniel Salas (the one we usually meet) in Cuba – Daniel is on leave and won’t be back until the end of the year/ he’s taking some classes in Cuba also
vhe said that the Cuban youth festival had been a tremendous success/ I said we read about it and how some delegates had sneeked over from Chili etc./ he said yes they came from Argentina, Uroguoy etc.
– I said that I had read about Castro’s demonstration of solidarity with South Africa etc.
– I said/ those who sneeked over had to go back (which I shouldn’t have asked because he of course interpreted this or he may have as if I was wishing they didn’t have to go back to their countries)/ he said of course that is their struggle
– I said of course
– he said that he has some articles and will bring them by about the whole program/ he said it was fantastic
– he asked why JJ didn’t come in for testing or to see the Cuban Dr. and I asked him if he had some background on the custody case
– I told him a little about Grace [Stoen] and why JJ had a child but he was in a hurry so we didn’t have much time/ I told him how the case was still being deliberated
– I asked if any of the Cuban doctors could come up to Jonestown and he said that a new batch had come in 2 weeks ago and there were just accomodating themselves to Guyana and being trained so they can’t/ I asked what about the old doctors/ the old Cuban Doctors and he said no they couldn’t come but if JJ comes to town, he’d see which one of them could handle the situation medically
Cuban Embassy (Tony’s report) 10/8/78 (Tony and Sharon)
– we told them of JJ having CA [Cancer] and he was sympathetic to the fact
– he talked of the festival in Cuba that was held recently and he said countries came like Chile, Argentina, USA (he said a number came from the US) – he said a number came from North America
– when asked did some stay or want to stay he replied that they went home because that is their struggle/ this was a very unsympathetic statement, I think
– we told him the govt was in agreement that if JJ had to travel to Cuba he would be allowed to do so
– he told us that 35 new doctors just came and some don’t speak English that well
– we asked him if a doctor could come into the hinterland and he said definitely no but JJ could see doctors here in Georgetown
– Sharon said that she hopes we got an answer a lot faster than the subject of Chnrista, her daughter. He seemed surprised that we haven’t gotten the answer on that but will check on both
G-2-a-2b
[Editor’s note: Reverse side of report a visit to Cuban Embassy may be an old document]
The Racist and Reactionary Political Climate in the US
Senator Brooks [Edward Brooke], the only black senator since 1880, has held this post since 1966. He was active as an attorney general in Massachusetts. He was brought before the Senate Ethics Commission at this time when ranks of US blacks in the Ccongress are shrinking
The congressional seat formerly held by Ambassador Andrew Young has been filled by a black representative.
Representative Barbara Jordan, a moderate to conservative black democrat from Texas, has announced that with the racial climate in the US, she will not try to get her seat again.
Sepia Magazine came out with the statement that all black elected officials in the US have already been smeared by the press. Better than half of them are under criminal indictment and criminal investigation at the present time. This information was brought out by Lieutenant Governor [George] Brown and Lieutenant Governor [Mervyn] Dymally of California.
The Chronicle Newspaper in SF, California smeared Mark Lane completely. He was the attorney who had the courage to write a book Rush to Judgment which exposed the Kennedy assassination as a conspiracy.
A woman witness has now stepped forward who can testify to what happened to Martin Luther King Jr.
Frank Schnepp wrote Decent Interval about the CIA and he’s already been indicted.
Larry Flynt exposed the Kennedy assassination and was assassinated about two weeks later [Editor’s note: Flynt was paralyzed from the waist down following an assassination attempt in March 1978].
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G-2-a-1a
Visit of Alfriedo Ferreira 14/8/78 [August 14, 1978] (Tony W. [Walker], Sharon A. [Amos]
Administrator of the Cuban Embassy
– he said he would come by as I said I had something to talk to him about
– I told him when he came about the idea of sending in a medical team and equipment from Cuba and he said he doubted if that would be possible. He first thought I had asked because they were going to refuse to have JJ go to Cuba and he said that they had not refused for JJ to go tho they didn’t yet have the answer about it.
– he didn’t think it would be possible but he would ask.
– He said that the team in Guyana was perfectly capable of giving JJ full medical tests and could have all the equipment necessary at Georgetown hospital
– I expressed my concern about the Georgetown Hospital in terms of sterile procedures and he said “I know” but believe it or not they have all the equipment there that they need for testing”
– he said he had already talked to Alvio Ferra, the Cuban Surgeon here and Alvio knows he can handle it and is even prepared to do the surgery as he has done that kind of surgery before/ also who in the new team of doctors is a doctor. Agramonte was Alvio’s teacher and Alfriedo said he is much better than Alvio and is a surgeon and he could check JJ also or operate on him if that was necessary
– there is a doctor Fonseca here also who is a bone surgeon who is not a specialist in CA [Cancer] but who is here also
– I asked if JJ could be operated upon at another hospital with the Cuban surgeons and he said that would be possible but it is up to the other hospital as sometimes they are funny about that/ I said with all the doctors around the country I wouldn’t think they would mind right now as I had talked to Dr. Balwant Singh just last nite and he’s the only doctor in the whole hospital.
– regarding even some of the Cuban doctors here going to Jonestown, he said he didn’t think that could be done/ they strictly work for the govt and are on contract and wouldn’t have the equipment to take out there
– he said to let him know the date JJ could come in for tests/ he said that when Alfriedo is in Cuba on leave, we could talk to Silvio Gonzales who would be able to help us
– Alfriedo has already gotten in touch with Cuba about the situation and it will be arranged pending he has lung CA/ I asked him to push on this when he is in Cuba and he said he will and it does help to talk to people face to face and he will be seeing Daniel in Cuba (Daniel is on leave and is the one we used to see most)
– he said when JJ comes in, he should bring in all the papers and analysis already done by our doctor or any other doctor so that the Cuban doctors can see him
– we talked about American politics and for the first time he seemed to agree that it would have been a waste for us to die as fodder for the capitalists when it wouldn’t be the right time to have in the useful effects
– before he agreed on that we showed him the Huey Newton article in New Times/ he asked to have a copy of it so we xeroxed it for him/ he wanted to take it to Cuba/ I pointed out to him how the article was slanted to destroy Huey by innuendo and lies and with no chance to face an accuser
– Tony spoke about it too analyzing it and saying Huey even took a lie detector test but it was disregarded saying the questions didn’t deal with the whole thing (I forget the details)
– I gave him background about how every protest in the US or every group depended on us to bring a crowd and if we would leave no one would be there and how Angela [Davis] had to call us to go across country to No. Carolina where Ben Chavis was and other political prisoners The Wilmington 10 (Tony described this too and said that he was one of the people that went)
– told him that Angela even said it was a problem to get people together
G-2-a-1b [Reverse side of page 1a, unrelated to report on Cuban Embassy]
G-2-a-1c
Cuba cont.
– he asked tho didn’t the workers have some solidarity or actually he asked didn’t the Black Panthers party have some thing going (since he felt they wouldn’t mount this massive attack on Huey if there wasn’t something other than him to attack)
– I explained that Elaine Brown had infiltrated (and how she was bourgeoisie as we met her and she came with a fur coat and she was always somehow gone when there were panther arrests)/ how [Eldridge] Cleaver has sold out to [Chuck] Colton and the FBI/ how it’s hard to maintain worker solidarity because they kill the leader like Malcomm [Malcolm X] or Martin [Luther King Jr.] anytime they have a viable thing going to unite the masses
– how Lenin left Moscow for the same reason to wait for the time he could be effective but he didn’t have 1200 to take with him
– how we wanted our youth to become good socialists as it is hard in the midst of the seduction of capitalism to keep people strong tho JJ had done so for years but it was hard to really keep people growing and that our intention was to help in struggles for liberation
– he said that he could see us as a valuable group to fight alongside others like in Africa
(it’s funny but he inherited the Cuban revolution/ he was in the US, a teenager when his family exiled during Baptista [Batista], and they returned after the revolution/ I think part of his problem is he subconsciously feels guilty he didn’t fight in the revolution or because his parents left and he is judgmental of us a little)
– he does feel you have to feel optimistic about the struggle/ as I mentioned our people have even faced the fact that you may not see changes in a certain struggle in your life, you jsut do it because it’s right/ and we faced death and we were involved in a riot (explained how people were arrested in LA, JJ and Marcie and others) and JJ wouldn’t take bail and how it started
– that our people were attacked by mercenaries here – it amost was an attack as the mercenaries came/ and even the seniors had cutlasses ready to die
– he wondered if we taught much about Cuba in our school/ I told him we have used movies about Castro (Tony actually told about the documentary we have), I mentioned a Russian film Breznev goes to Cuba we had studied/ but we wanted more films and materials (when I had asked the embassy they didn’t have any reading materials in Englsih or few and those were sent out here)
– I told about how our people get involved in heavy political dialogues and discussions and classes learning about the struggles in all parts of the world/ he said that was good
– told how JJ politicized someone like Jim Pugh, lovingly/ he said he can’t change old people’s religion but tho I didn’t argue this exactly I said they have to face where they’ve been sold out by religion (the political aspects) like take the world and give me Jesus (I told that story of the old man and he laughed) –
– he said we talk to [too] much about JJ/ I explained about the D of P and in the US you can’t keep a movement together/ in college I found people going in and out of the drug movement, mystical movements and in and out of political movements and so you need a strong movement and in that stage a leader is helpful
– I said Cuba is at a different stage
– he said well that may be true but Guyanese won’t understand it and we’ve talked down at the Embassy about it
– he said Castro told people they shouldn’t do it with him as he is getting old and what if you were to become a Maoist all of a sudden/ but couldn’t follow “him” just because of him but would have to put him aside/ I told him how we criticize JJ and how he has developed leadership (especially now because of his health) and we have a troika and a steering committee and then imput [input] from everyone which is for political involvement of everybody in decision making
(over)
G-2-a-1d
– he said “do you get consensus” which was to put me on the spot ss he knows and we know 1200 people won’t agree all the time, or much of the time
– I told him that it is to get the opinions of all various groups of people so you don’t just have the intelligentsia or some group controlling/ he said that was good
– I told him how even the children have debates on the Russian vs the Chinese situation/ or Socialism vs Capitalism/ we know what we believe but it is a good exercize for political understanding
– how we have studied China and her poicy [policy] of uniting with the US and So Africa etc. (Cuba is adamant too about China)
– he came back the next day and picked up the Huey Newton article
Tony’s report on Alfriedo 14/8/78
– Alfriedo of the Cuban Embassy came by our home and we talked to him about J’s health and Cuban doctors coming into Jonestown at our expense
– he said no way because the govt sends them to a certain area and they have to stay there
– we asked if we could get them from Cuba and he said he would check but he doubted it
– wants JJ to come to town because the GT Hospital has everything that the drs. need to test JJ
– Sharon asked if JJ could be treated at another hosp. like Pershads because GT Hosp has a problem of insterility
– he understood this and said that would be fine but they will only put the dr. there and we have to make the arrangements with the hosp.
– He is leaving this Wednesday and he doesn’t know who is the relief/ he will be gone probably until Oct.
– when he gets to Cuba he will find out if drs. can come/
– we told him of the Conspiracy of Huey Newton and JJ telling him not to leave Cuba
– when we told him of the charge of sexual molestation, and his group beating on people he said in effect “but that’s just words and people don’t listen to words but if there was a criminal charge it would be different. We told him if the people in America realize the exploitation of capitalism, they would arise/ he agreed to this
– while sharon and I talked to him he seemed to be scrutinizing everything we said
– he said that our people tend to praise JJ more than we center our spotlight on the collective
– we told him that JJ is not in the spotlight/ our community is run by the people with a troka [troika] head/ he thought this was fine
– he also hearing us tell him of the Mertles, members of several years bing agents and knowing David Conn, the one who tried to blackmail Dennis Banks, he listened intently (continued next page)
G-2-a-1e
Cuban
as we told him of Timothy Stoen, our arch conspirator being all things to all people in the sense of pretending he was a socialist to socialists but a conservative to conservative but actually was a fascist as he had been to East Germany etc. etc. etc. (note from Sharon)
– he for the first time agreed to us probably not making it in the US
– we told him of JJ going to jail in LA over the ambulance situation/ this seemed to impress him about JJ not taking bail when offerred to him because poor people can’t afford bail/ we told him of JJ wanted to go back to the US to die but he thought of the future of our children (Sharon: I told him that JJ has thought of it even so recently because if we can’t be of any use here it would be better for some of us to die there)
– he again mentioned the fact about Castro fighting the people’s will to put him on a pedestal and counting on him totally instead of depending on the collective and he feels this is how we portray JJ and he says this is especially in Caba
– Sharon told him JJ had to use this tactic in the US to get people in the right political frame of mind and she said some of us just carry it on and we will take this criticism to heart
– he said JJ’s tactic in the US is fine but here and Cuba no
– he wants us to photostat the New Times Article of Huey Newton because he wants to take it back to Cuba and we told him we would and he could pick it up before he leaves Wednesday
G-2-a-1f [Reverse side of page 1e, unrelated to report on Cuban Embassy]