[Editor’s note: The text for this document was released in 2014 by the now-defunct Wikileaks website at https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1978GEORGE03600_d.html. This URL may be available through the Wayback Machine.]
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GEORGE 03600 021935Z
ACTION ARA-10
INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 H-03 SS-15 SSO-00 /029 W
——————110630
021940Z /46 O 021900Z NOV 78
FM AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7969
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E.O. 11652: NA
TAGS: CASC, OREP (RYAN LEO) GY
SUBJ: CONGRESSMAN RYAN’S VISIT TO GUYANA.
REF: A. STATE 278140 B. STATE 277716 C. STATE 256273 D. GEORGETOWN 3125
1. AMBASSADOR HAS NOT YET RECEIVED PERSONAL TELEGRAM FROM CONGRESSMAN RYAN REFERRED TO PARA TWO REF A, THOUGH TEXT OF RYAN’S TELEGRAM TO PEOPLE’S TEMPLE (REF A) HAS BEEN RECEIVED. HOWEVER, GIVEN IMMINENCE OF CODEL’ PROPOSED VISIT, BELIEVE DEPARTMENT SHOULD CONVEY THE FOLLOWING POINTS TO CONGRESSMAN AND/OR HIS STAFF AND ELICIT INFORMATION REQUESTED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
2. IN REF. D EMBASSY OUTLINED DIFFICULTIES INVOLVED IN SUPPORTING CODEL VISIT TO GEORGETOWN AND JONESTOWN AS WELL AS LIMITATIONS IMPOSED UPON THE EMBASSY IN ACTING AS A GOBETWEEN FOR THE CODEL WITH THE PEOPLE’S TEMEPLE (PT) AND ITS LEADERSHIP. BECAUSE THE PERSONNEL AT PEOPLE’S TEMPLE ARE AMERICAN CITIZENS AND BECAUSE THEY ARE OCCUPYING GUYANESE TERRITORY MADE AVAILABLE TO THEM BY THE GOG, THERE IS A DEFINITE LIMITATION ON WHAT MIGHT BE DONE TO ASSIST CODEL IN ITS MISSION IF PERSONNEL AT JONESTOWN FLATLY REFUSE TO RECEIVE CONGRESSMAN RYAN AND HIS PARTY. ASSUME THAT OFFICERS FROM ARA/CAR HAVE OUTLINED THIS PROBLEM TO THE
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CODEL STAFF AND THE CONGRESSMEN FULLY UNDERSTAND THESE LIMITATIONS. UPON RECEIPT OF REF A WE CONTACTED PT OFFICE IN GEORGETOWN (1) TO FIND OUT IF CONG. RYAN’S CABLE HAS BEEN RECEIVED AND (2) TO ENCOURAGE PT TO RECEIVE CODEL AT JONESTOWN. PT HAS NOT YET RECEIVED CONG. RYAN’S CABLE. INITIAL REACTION FROM LOCAL REPRESENTATIVE (SHARON AMOS) WAS HOWEVER FAVORABLE TO IDEA. SHE OBSERVED, HOWEVER, THAT VISIT TO JONESTOWN SHOULD PRECEDE ANY TALKS CONDEL MAY HAVE WITH GOG OFFICIALS AND THAT PT REPS SHOULD PARTICIPATE IN ANY SUCH MEETINGS. (FINAL PT CONCURRENCE WILL NOT BE PROVIDED UNTIL BISHOP JONES HAS HAD OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW CODEL CABLE WHEN RECEIVED.) GOG AMB. MANN, CURRENTLY IN GEORGETOWN, HAS ALSO BEEN INFORMED OF POSSIBLE CODEL VISIT.
3. IF CONGRESSMAN RYAN AND PARTY DO UNDERTAKE THEIR JOURNEY TO GUYANA, IT WILL OBVIOUSLY BE IMPORTANT FOR THE EMBASSY TO KNOW AT EARLIEST STAGE POSSIBLE WHETHER OR NOT THEY ARE TRAVELING ON COMMITTEE BUSINESS AND WHAT APPROPRIATION NUMBERS WILL BE AVAILABLE TO THE CODEL DURING ITS STAY IN GEORGETOWN. (ASSUME H IS IN A POSITION TO PROVIDE THIS INFORMATION.) IN ORDER TO AVOID FRUSTRATIION ON THE PART OF CODEL AND STAFF IT IS ALSO ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THE DIFFICULTIES OF TRAVEL WITHIN GUYANA. FOR EXAMPLE, IF THE CODEL INTENDS TO TRAVEL TO PORT KAITUMA, THE JUMPING-OFF PLACE FOR JONESTOWN, IT WILL HAVE TO TRAVEL BY CHARTER AIRCRAFT. AIRSTRIP AT PORT KAITUMA CANNOT TAKE AN AIRCRAFT LARGER THAN COMPARATIVELY SMALL TWINENGINE CESSNA WHICH CAN CARRY NO MORE THAN SIX INDIVIDUALS PLUS CREW. AS STATED IN REF. C TRAVEL BETWEEN
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PORT KAITUMA AND GEORGETOWN MUST BE ACCOMPLISHED USING A 4-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE WHICH ONLY JONESTOWN OR THE GOG DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE CAN PROVIDE. EVEN FOR A GROUP AS SMALL AS SIX, THE SINGLE 4-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE WHICH MAY BE AVAILABLE MAY BE REQUIRED TO SHUTTLE THE GROUP TO JONESTOWN IN TWO OR MORE TRIPS. ON DAYLONG TRIP TO JONESTOWN CODEL WILL HAVE TO DEPEND EITHER ON THE HOSPITALITY OF JONESTOWN OR CARRY BOX LUNCHES FROM THE HOTEL FOR MIDDAY MEAL. THERE ARE NO RPT NO RESTAURANTS IN PORT KAITUMA.
4. RECENTLY, HOTEL SPACE IN GEORGETOWN HAS BEEN VERY LIMITED; MUST KNOW THEREFORE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE NUMBER IN CODEL AND EXACT DATES THEY EXPECT TO BE IN GEORGETOWN SO THAT ROOMS CAN BE RESERVED. FURTHERMORE BECAUSE OF THE SCARCITY OF CHARTER AIRCRAFT, MUST KNOW AS SOON AS POSSIBLE PRECISE DATE OR DATES CODEL WILL BE AVAILABLE TO TRAVEL TO JONESTOWN SO THAT SOME SUITABLE TYPE OF AIRCRAFT MAY BE RESERVED. (ASSUME THAT CHARTERING OF AIRCRAFT MAY BE CHARGED TO APPROPRIATION NUMBER WHICH CODEL WILL HAVE AVAILABLE TO IT.)
5. EMBASSY WISHES TO REITERATE THE POINT MADE IN PARA 2 REF D, I.E., THAT A DEPARTMENT LAWYER FROM THE STAFF OF THE LEGAL ADVISER ACCOMPANY THE CODEL TO GUYANA. EMBASSY BELIEVES THAT PRESENCE OF LEGAL COUNSEL IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL GIVEN THE POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS CODEL VISIT UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AND PRIVACY ACTS. MUST POINT OUT ONCE MORE THAT IT IS QUITE POSSIBLE FOR FRICTIONS TO OCCUR BETWEEN CODEL AND THE JONESTOWN COMMUNITY UNLESS AGREEMENT TO THE VISIT HAS BEEN OBTAINED FROM THE PEOPLE’S TEMPLE PRIOR TO THE ARRIVAL OF THE CODEL. IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THEREFORE THAT EMBASSY HAS AVAILABLE TO IT LEGAL COUNSEL FAMILIAR WITH THE PROVISIONS OF BOTH OF THESE ACTS AND THEIR APPLICATION TO WHATEVER INCIDENTS MAY ARISE IN
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CONNECTION WITH THE VISIT OF THIS CODEL.
BURKE [U.S. Ambassador John Burke]
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