201-206 BB-1
[Editor’s note: Mary Ruth is a codename for Paula Adams. Mary Ruth’s “friend” is Guyana’s ambassador to the United States, Laurence “Bonny” Mann]
BB-1-ZZ
TO: HILL
FROM: MARY RUTH
SUBJECT: MARY RUTH’S FRIEND WILL ARRIVE TUESDAY
1. With all of the demands for p.r., organizing, letter-writing, etc., I don’t see how I can meet this demand
2. He is totally unreasonable about time being spent with him. He wants my complete undivided attention. He will not accept a reasonable attitude of my working on a normal day; spending evenings with him, and coming home at night. He expects 24 hour attention and starts into a PT-slave routine when I am gone. I cannot pacify the asshole with reason – he is a raving madman.
3. If I take a posture of lack of time – he will likely end the relationship. I am unsure of just how significant his “friendship” is. He will indent with hostility, I am sure. I want to do the right thing.
4. I will try to keep the hours of service to evenings and night; but it will be dependent on his attitude (if his friendship is necessary). He is telling me that his vacation is to see me. I know this is bullshit, but he convinces himself with his own rationale when he wants to be hostile.
5. Existence was started by a fascist sadist. Without you and communist belief – I couldn’t survive it.
[Handwritten addition, likely by Christine Lucientes]
6. Also: He may very likely want to visit the farm this time, Mary Ruth says. (She asks CRL [Christine Lucientes] to add this)
[Page 2 missing]
BB-1-aaa-1
-3-
Minister Wills speculated that Bunny was pulling one by carrying out foreign dollars or gold. (Paula has a strong suspicion he is doing so also and suggested that it would be a good idea to check Bunny’s things when he leaves).
– Wills mentioned about Bunny switching from [Chedi] Jagan to PNC and now going right-wing
[4 line cross out, text appears as follows]
RE CRATES:
– he said Hope is locked up in a room and no one can get to him. Wills will get to Corlette and speak to him/he doesn’t directly work to interfere with this matter (but he did call White, or said he did)
BB-1-aaa-2
[reverse side of page unrelated, not transcribed]
BB-1-bbb
Paula:
MARY RUTH’S FRIEND
He went to Coleman’s friend and said he had not succeeded because Hill had too many friends that were also friends of Coleman’s people so we didn’t want to take Hill on. Mazor probably just jumped and leaped at you (re: Carol McCoy’s kids – give him the background on what Carol did with Mazor) He’s leaped at you because he thought he had a hot potato.
There never was any 50 senators, that is a bunch of embellishment and the four were not four at all, that was just our intelligence, there was no problem at all with Carol. That is how we pick up all this. That man has got a big mouth (Mazor) he is unfortunately a blowhard. Carol just told the truth that she had 4 children here and he just mouthed off. She called him yesterday and told him she wanted no part of his operation he tried to bribe her into filing abduction charges. Get the letter out that details about Carol and go over it. Say this is how we got our source, this is where we got our info. We have another person who doesn’t like his operation, that’s how we know that this chap, this rightwinger, Margaret’s dad [Steven Katsaris, father of Maria Katsaris] was sent down here by Mazor and that is what discouraged him from bombarding Guyana with a whole planeload of relatives (distant removed relatives who had no jurisdiction over any of there [their] loved ones. We bet our lives that’s the four he was so stupid that he fell for that
Get the old letter that goes into the discussion about Mazor and Carol and incorporate that and remind them, both Topelo and what they are up to and how devious this chap is and how even Margaret’s dad is involved with this because he talked about Margaret’s dad right there had some consultation about Margaret’s dad coming ahead. [Handwritten addition] If he could let us know the Congressman that Mary Ruth’s dad contacted, he is working hand in glove with Mazor. They’ve tried to get things on us for years – they’ve got a long line on this for years
[Large handwritten note: “Ask Christine [Lucientes] about this!”]
BB-1-ccc-1
To: Hill
from L. Mann
Constructive Criticisms for Assimilation:
1. Be more open in social circumstances, that is, invite more people in areas where they will be of some benefit to us, i.e. customs people, immigration people, business people, government officers, and any others which might break down barriers. He said that even though you don’t drink, make it available to guests and just chat about nothing relating to your work, but more of light talk. He said that most of Georgetown relates on a forum of drink and most people that conduct business do so with this type of entertaining… that it will break down a host of problems on the day-to-day scale. He said that we have access to bring in some of the best scotch and whiskey without paying duty and people who can’t get this kind of thing will gladly accept your invitation. It doesn’t require that you drink, but just entertain more frequently.
2. He suggested that we get an agent if we do not want more of a socializing activity, although he does think we are too much of a closed group socially. An agent who we buy these liquors for to entertain on our behalf (without us present) and who we pay a commission of a couple of hundred dollars a month to do our customs work, etc. I don’t like this because I don’t think we could control the conversation, nor could we find anyone to really put any effort into saving money if they are only getting two hundred dollars a month. He was suggesting this in regard to customs and purchasing.
3. The only real criticism that he said he had about the way we operate in Guyana is that we don’t assimilate enough with Guyanese or socialize enough to break down suspicions. (This is a recurring criticism.) He said that he is glad that we are having this barbecue because it brings us more into Guyana society.
4. He said that we are too low-key. We should have more press coverage of the good things we are doing. For example, he suggested that we invite Mohamed Hamaludin to come up and photograph some of our donations to the Port Kaituma school and write a story about it. He also suggested having a celebration (such as a two year anniversary of project success) and invite the Minister of Economic Development and Regional Ministries and Regional Minister to attend and make sure that one of the Chronicle journalists are in attendance to write a story and take photographs. He said that both ministers will have to say praiseworthy things about what you have done and they will appear in the newspaper. (This, I think, is a very good suggestion – not only because I made this same suggestion two years ago myself.) If we do this, I think we should invite Dr. Reid also. All three should be asked to say something, however Dr. Reid should be the designated guest of honor because of the inspiration he gave us in coming here. We should probably make some kind of donation to the Party. if we did this, on that same night. (Acknowledge support rather than hearsay.) It is something to consider.
BB-1-ccc-2
To: Hill
I almost blew it, again. Under a barrage of interrogation about contractors and other things, specifically at this moment of losing my diplomacy, I was asked about the investigations about property transfers and the District Attorney’s office’s investigations. I stated that there were never any property transfers which were not done both legally and ethically. He then asked me whether we can afford to have the Bishop here and still financially maintain our organization. I said of course we could, that we had not closed he asked, down our organization. “Where did you get your money down?” It was following some very heated discussion also about the telephone bill I had left in Washington. I stated that it was none of his goddamn business. I then calmed down, realizing the extent of my error, and told him I was reacting emotionally to him and that we get it from the same place we always have, from membership donations. I don’t know that I am doing us any good. I cannot tolerate any negative discussion of either you or PT and I get somewhat emotional when he is totally unreasonable. He calls it being a “devil’s advocate”. I call it being an Uncle Tom prick.
After finally telling him that Charles Garry, Mervyn Dymally, Angela Davis, and Andrew Young think it would be foolhardy for you to return, he said, “Yes, I can see your point.” I told him about character assassinations of all black officials whatever their political persuasion, and although he agrees that this is happening, he still asks Uncle Tom questions about why shouldn’t the Bishop go back. Either he is completely dual or he has a very distorted thought process. Understanding the plight of black people on one hand and on the other makes himself the exception to this circumstance.
He did say that Harold said that we have very good relations with the community up there and he also said that Harold agrees with him that Margaret should see her Dad because they cannot afford any bad public reaction about Guyana being given to Congressman and Senators. He is now telling me that he wrote a letter to the Prime Minister about the situation with custody matters and about Maria. He has not told me what he said, only that he wrote. Sometimes the heated discussions are far more beneficial than the reasonable ones because I usually find out more.