[Editor’s note: The State Department FOIA release of 1981 withheld the last paragraph of this cable under the national security exemption of the Freedom of Information Act. It is denoted in red type.
[The text for this document was released in 2014 by the now-defunct Wikileaks website at https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1977GEORGE00010_c.html. This URL may be available through the Wayback Machine.]
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GEORGE 00010 031821Z
ACTION ARA-10
INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 PM-04 H-01 INR-07 L-03 NSAE-00 NSC-05 PA-01 PRS-01 SP-02 SS-15 USIA-06 AGRE-00 EB-07 /063 W
——————032210Z 057946 /71
R 031750Z JAN 77
FM AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 3965
INFO AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN
AMEMBASSY KINGSTON
AMEMBASSY PORT OF SPAIN
C O N F I D E N T I A L GEORGETOWN 0010
E.O. 11652: GDS
TAGS: OVIP, PFOR, GY, US
SUBJECT: DYMALLY WRAP-UP
REF: 76 GEORGETOWN 2637
1. GOG “CHRONICLE” ON JANUARY 1 CARRIED TWO ARTICLES WRAPPING UP DYMALLY VISIT TO GUYANA. ONE ARTICLE DEALT SPECIFICALLY WITH PRIVATE MEETING BETWEEN DYMALLY, BISHOP JONES AND PRIME MINISTER DECEMBER 29 WHICH REPORTEDLY CENTERED ON THE TOPIC OF RELATIONS BETWEEN GUYANA AND THE UNITED STATES. BISHOP JONES, AS MENTIONED REFTEL, WAS REPUTED TO HAVE TOLD BURNHAM THAT HE HAD MET PRIVATELY WITH MRS. CARTER AND VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT MONDALE PRIOR TO RECENT U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. JONES TOLD BURNHAM THAT HE HAD MADE HIS PERSONAL SUPPORT OF THE CARTER-MONDALE TICKET CONTINGENT ON THE ASSURANCE THAT THE NEW ADMINISTRATION WOULD PURSUE A NON- INTERVENTION POLICY PARTICULARLY WITH RESPECT TO GUYANA. BISHOP SAID HE WAS GIVEN THAT ASSURANCE BY BOTH MRS. CARTER AND THE VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT.
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2. BOTH PRIME MINISTER BURNHAM AND FOREIGN MINISTER WILLS INDICATED TO JONES AND DYMALLY THAT GUYANA WANTS TO KEEP THE DOORS OPEN TO COOPERATION WITH THE UNITED STATES. DYMALLY SAID HE INTENDS TO CONVEY THAT MESSAGE TO THE DEPARTMENT SOMETIME AFTER JANUARY 20. ARTICLE CONCLUDED PRAISING JONES AS UNOFFICIAL AMBASSADOR OF GOOD WILL BETWEEN GUYANA AND THE U.S.
3. SECOND STORY THAT APPEARED IN THE SAME EDITION DEALT PRIMARILY WITH THE PEOPLE’S TEMPLE AGRICULTURAL MISSION IN THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. ARTICLE QUOTED DYMALLY AS PRAISING SETTLEMENT AND EXPRESSED HIS ADMIRATION FOR THE PROGRESS MADE. ONLY DISCORDANT NOTE CAME WHEN AT END OF ARTICLE JONES WAS QUOTED AS SAYING MY PEOPLE HAVE FOUND HAPPINESS AND THEY WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE PEACE AND PROGRESS OF GUYANA. CONSIDERING THE SITUATION TODAY (HE WAS UNDOUBTEDLY REFERRING TO STRAIN IN US-GOG RELATIONS), YOUR GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN VERY TOLERANT ALLOWING AMERICANS TO SETTLE HERE.
4. COMMENT: DYMALLY VISIT WENT BETTER THAN EXPECTED EVEN IF DYMALLY AND JONES CAME ACROSS AS APOLOGISTS FOR USG SINS IN GUYANA. AS EXPECTED, BURNHAM APPEARS AS SINCERE LEADER WHO ONLY DESIRES GOOD RELATIONS WITH U.S. THIS IS IN LINE WITH BURNHAM’S ATTEMPTS TO PORTRAY HIMSELF TO VARIOUS US VISITORS AS MODERATE LEADER OF SMALL COUNTRY BEWILDERED BY HARD-LINE ATTACKS OF USG.
MCCOY [Richard McCoy, Deputy Chief of Mission]
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