[Editor’s note: The text for this document was released in 2014 by the now-defunct Wikileaks website at https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1978GEORGE03907_d.html.]
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ACTION SCS-06
INFO OCT-01 ARA-15 ISO-00 CA-01 SSO-00 SY-05 SYE-00 /028 W
——————057181 241815Z /41
O 241745Z NOV 78
FM AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC NIACT IMMEDIATE 8181
UNCLAS GEORGETOWN 3907
E.O. 11652: N/A
TAGS: CDES, GY
SUBJECT: DEPARTMENT REQUESTS TO VERIFY IDENTITITES
REF: (A) STATE 297280 (B) STATE 297281
1) REFTELS INDICATE MISUNDERSTANDING OF PROCEDURES USED TO COMPILE THE LIST OF IDENTIFIED DEAD (GEORGETOWN 3846). THIS LIST WAS COMPILED BY ESCORTING VARIOUS SURVIVORS THROUGH THE AREA WHERE THE CORPSES LAY. WHEN A SURVIVOR FELT THAT HE OR SHE RECOGNIZED ONE OF THE CORPSES, THE NAME WAS WRITTEN DOWN AND A LIST WAS FORMED. MANY MISPRONUNCIATIO NS BY THE SURVIVORS, MISUNDERSTANDINGS BY THE LISTENER OR ERROR IN TRANSCRIBING THE FINAL LIST WILL RESULT IN NAMES THAT ARE MEANINGLESS.
2) IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO GO BACK NOW AND “VERIFY” THESE IDENTITIES. YOUR REF (A) FOR EXAMPLE, WOULD APPEAR TO INDICATE A SIMPLE MISCOMMUNICATION ON THE SAME AS “CRONETTE” AND “GRUNNET” SOUND SO MUCH ALIKE. THE BODY IN QUESTION IS NOW GONE; WE CAN TELL YOU THAT A PASSPORT WAS FOUND THAT BELONGED TO A PATRICIA LEE GRUNNETT (25 NOVEMBER 1941; CALIFORNIA). WHETHER THIS IS THE IDENTITY OF THE BODY IN QUESTION IS UNCERTAIN, BUT ONE MIGHT PRESUME SO BECAUSE GUYANESE IMMIGRATION RECORDS OF PT MEMBERS DO NOT LIST ANY SURNAME SIMILAR TO “CRONETTE”.
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3) FURTHER INFORMATION RESPONDING TO REF (B) WILL FOLLOW SEPTEL.
BURKE [U.S. Ambassador John Burke]
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