{"id":114957,"date":"2022-06-13T17:49:02","date_gmt":"2022-06-14T00:49:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/?page_id=114957"},"modified":"2022-07-27T16:12:59","modified_gmt":"2022-07-27T23:12:59","slug":"mar-31-1980-1035-georgetown-state-1436","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/?page_id=114957","title":{"rendered":"Mar 31, 1980 \u2022 1035 \u2022 Georgetown-State \u2022 1436"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Editor\u2019s note<\/b>: This document was released both as a State Department cable<\/a><\/u> as part of its 1981 FOIA release, and as Serial 2426<\/a><\/u> of the FBI\u2019s RYMUR release.<\/p>\n

[This cable appears with limited deletions in the RYMUR release, but the portions of the document below which the FBI revealed are designated in red type. The single name of a Guyanese prison official was withheld and in denoted below in green type.]<\/i><\/p>\n

0 R 311035Z MAR 80
\nFM AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
\nTO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2024
\nINFO AMEMBASSY BOGOTA
\nUNCLAS GEORGETOWN 1436
\nBOGOTA FOR LEGAT
\nE.O. 12065: NA
\nTAGS: CARR, GY (LAYTON, LAURENCE JOHN) (PEOPLE\u2019S TEMPLE)
\nSUBJ: CONOFF\u2019S VISIT TO LARRY LAYTON
\nREF: A) 78 GEORGETOWN 2605
\nB) GEORGETOWN 0075
\nC) GEORGETOWN 0760<\/p>\n

1. Conoff [Consular Officer] visited Amcit [American citizen] Laurence Layton in Georgetown prison March 20, 1980, and delivered a letter from Dr. L. L. Layton received c\/o Embassy March 24, 1980. As on previous visits, letter was held by prison authorities for censorship prior to delivery (Reftel A). Layton again affirmed that he receives mail on a regular basis.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Interview was conducted in the office of prison superintendent [name withheld]<\/span> who was present for the first few minutes. On Connoff\u2019s request, and as per previous GOG [Government of Guyana] authorization following Embassy intervention (Ref. B), Supt. [name withheld]<\/span> left the room for purpose of allowing private consular meeting with Mr. Layton. Meeting was third such with Mr. Layton outside presence of prison officials since his detention.<\/p>\n

UNCLASSIFIED
\nUNCLASSIFIED
\nPAGE 02 GEORGE 01436 311149Z<\/p>\n

3. Conoff asked Layton privately whether he was being subject to any deliberate physical or psychological abuse. Layton stated that he was not subject to any such abuse, and Conoff detected no indications thereof. Conoff found Layton\u2019s general physical condition and appearance markedly improved since visit of February 1, 1980. Layton had gained weight, and in response to Conoff\u2019s question expressed satisfaction with his Embassy arranged dietary assistance plan. He had no new medical complaints, and stated that he was continuing to receive two outside exercise periods per week as per previous Embassy request.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Conoff request to contact local attorney Rex McKay, who had yet to visit Layton as of March 26, 1980. Conoff Conoff telephoned McKay\u2019s office March 27, 1980, and left a message to the effect that Layton wished to see McKay.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Late this morning, Friday, March 28, 1980, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) notified consul that trial would not rpt not begin April 1, 1980. Layton\u2019s attorney, Mr. Rex McKay, was asking for a postponement because of the presence of other business that would require his presence in Washington, DC in early April. (N.B. Mr. McKay is a member of a team of arbitrators currently attempting to resolve a number of lawsuits resulting from a USAID-contracted rice silo construction project.<\/p>\n

6. We do not know [illegible word], as past events have proven, it would be dangerous for us to try to guess, when Layton might come to trial. Consul has discussed case this morning with defense attorney McKay and it is not at all clear when legal<\/p>\n

UNCLASSIFIED
\nUNCLASSIFIED
\nPAGE 03 GEORGE 01436 311149Z<\/p>\n

proceedings might resume.<\/p>\n

7. For ARA\/CAR: Further to our telephone conversation 3\/28 A.M., please pass substance paras 5 through end to Department of Justice as specifically to the FBI, San Francisco office.<\/p>\n

Roberts [George B. Roberts, U.S. Ambassador to Guyana]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[Editor\u2019s note: This document was released both as a State Department cable as part of its 1981 FOIA release, and as Serial 2426 of the FBI\u2019s RYMUR release. [This cable appears with limited deletions in the RYMUR release, but the portions of the document below which the FBI revealed are designated in red type. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"parent":114906,"menu_order":22,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-114957","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/114957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=114957"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/114957\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":117325,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/114957\/revisions\/117325"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/114906"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=114957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}