SECRET PAGE 01 MARTIN 00693 1113492 ACTION 88-30 INFO ADS-00 880-00 031 1 114142 43 1015452 SEP 80 FM AMCONSUL MARTINIQUE TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4185 AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN PRIORITY INFO AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOVVN AMEMBASSY CARACAS AMEMBASSY KINGSTON AMEMBASSY LONDON AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PAMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO 103 PORT OF SPAIN 289 AMCONSUL TORONTO 0 RE MARTINIQUE 693 EXDIS E O 12065 GDS 9 9 00 DWYER RICHARD A OR-M TAGS PEPR PINTUS Department of State Case No Doc No 006511112 Date 03 14 2018 RELEASE IN FULL REVIEW AUTHORITY Richard Zorn Senior Reviewer SUBJ CIRCUMSTANCES OF RODNEY DEATH AND WHEREABOUTS OF GREGORY SMITH REF A GEORGETOWN 3783 B GEORGETOWN 3454 1 S - ENTIRE MESSAGE 2 BEGIN SUMMARY VISITED THE CAYENNE OPERATIONS OF SAHLMAN SEAFOODS ON SEPTEMBER 4 AND DISCUSSED VARIOUS CONSULAR MATTERS WITH CAYENNE MANAGER MR BILL CHARRON MR CHARRON LIVED FOR SEVERAL YEARS IN GEORGETOWN BEFORE COMING TO CAYENNE ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO MR CHARRON STATED THAT FROM FIRST HAND SOURCES WHICH HE COULD NOT REVEAL THAT GREGORY SMITH HAD BEEN A DOUBLE AGENT WHO HAD GIVEN THE RODNEY BROTHERS SECRET SECRET PAGE 02 MARTIN 00693 1113492 AN EXPLOSIVEDDEVICE WITH THE INTENTION THAT THEY BE SEIZED BY GOG SECURITY FORCES WITH THE BOMB IN THEIR POSSESSION INSTEAD IT WAS ACCIDENTALLY DETONATED BY ONE OF THE RODNEYS END SUMMARY 3 MR CHARRON EXPRESSED GREAT INTEREST IN MY VIEWS ON THE CURRENT POLITICAL SITUATION IN GUYANA WHEN HE LEARNED THAT I HAD BEEN DCM THERE UNTIL JULY 5 OF THIS YEAR MR CHARRON IS GEORGETOWN- BORN HE SAID HE HAD GREAT FONDNESS FOR THE GUYANESE PEOPLE AMONG WHOM HE HAD MANY FRIENDS MOST NOTABLY CHIEF OF STAFF BRIGADIER UNCLASSIFIED US Department of State Case NO Doc No C06511112 Date 03 14 2018 6 5 1 11 US Department of State Case No Doc No 006511112 Date 03 14 2018 4 NORMAN MCLEAN CHARRON SAID THAT HE HAD BEEN OF ASSISTANCE TO MCLEAN WHEN THE LATTER WAS HEAD OF THE NATIONAL SERVICE IN MATTERS CONCERNING DIESEL ENGINE AND BOAT MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR AS WELL AS PROVIDING MCLEAN WITH OCCASIONAL LUXURY ITEMS E G CHAMPAGNE MCLEAN HAD ONCEOFFERED HIM BUT THE THE OFFER HAD BEEN VETOED BY GOG PRIME MINISTER BURNHAM MR CHARRON SHOVVED OF BRIGADIER MCLEAN PLAYING WITH THE CHARRON CHILDREN AND ADDED THAT HE HAD VISITED WITH MCLEAN DURING A TRIP TO GEORGETOWN IN EARLY JULY OF THIS YEAR 4 MR CHARRON WAS PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN MY PERSONAL VIEWS AND THOSE OF THE USG ON RECENT GUYANESE AFFAIRS IN PARTICULAR THE DEATH OF GUYANESE WORKING PEOPLES ALLIANCE WPA LEADER WALTER RODNEY I REPLIED THAT WHILE THE ACTUAL CIRCUMSTANCES OF DEATH SEEMED TO BE FAIRLY CLEAR I HAD NOT SUFFICIENT INFORMATION TO REACH ANY CONCLUSION PERSONAL OR OFFICIAL AS TO WHAT GROUP OR PERSON IF ANY MAY HAVE BEEN BEHIND DEATH I ADDED THAT THERE HAD BEEN MANY STORIES CIRCULATING IN GEORGETOWN BUT THAT EACH VERSION APPEARED TO CLOSELY WITH THE POLITICAL VIEWS OF ITS PROTAGONIST IT MIGHT WELL BE I CONCLUDED THAT WE SHALL NEVER KNOW THE TRUE CAUSE OF THE RODNEY DEATH SECRET SECRET PAGE 03 MARTIN 00693 1113492 5 MR CHARRON SPEAKING SOFTLY IN HIS LIVING ROOM THROUGH WHICH OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS WERE OCCASIONALLY PASSING STATED FIRMLY THAT HE KNEW THE TRUE STOY OF DEATH MR CHARRON RETURNED TO THE RODNEY DEATH SEVERAL TIMES IN OUR CONVERSATION IN SUM HE SAID THAT GREGORY SMITH HAD BEEN A DOUBLE AGENT ACTUALLY IN THE EMPLOY OF THE GOVERNMENT OF GUYANA RODNEY WAS TO HAVE BEEN BY SMITH WHO WAS TO HAVE PROVIDED HIM WITH AN EXPLOSIVE DEVICE THE GOG SECURITY FORCES WERE THEN SUPPOSED TO HAVE SEIZED RODNEY WITH THE DEVICE IN HIS POSSESSION ACCORDING TO CHARRON THE DEVICE WAS IN A WOODEN BOX AND RODNEY KNEW FULL WELL IT WAS A BOMB DONALD RODNEY TO WHOM SMITH GAVE THE DEVICE HAD BEEN EXPLICITLY INSTRUCTED IN ITS OPERATION AND WARNED SPECIFICALLY AGAINST ACTIVATING THE DETONATION SYSTEM DURING THE TEST OF THE REMOTE CONTROL DEVICE APPARENTLY HOWEVER EITHER WALTER OR DONALD HAD ACTIVATED THE DEVICE WITH THE RESULT THAT IT HAD EXPLODED WHEN TESTED 6 I OBSERVED THAT THE STORY WAS NOT UNLIKE SEVERAL WHICH HAD BEEN CIRCULATING IN GEORGETOWN BUT OPINED AGAIN THAT THE VARIOUS VERSIONS STILL SEEMED TO DEPEND UPON THE MOTIVES OF THE TELLER MR CHARRON STATED THAT HE COULD NOT TELL ME THE SOURCE OF HIS INFORMATION BUT THAT HE COULD ASSURE ME IT WAS ACCURATE AND I ORIGINATED FROM SOURCES WHO KNEW THE FACTS OF THE MATTER HE ASKED THAT THESE BE CLOSELY HELD 7 OTHER EMPLOYERS OF FOREIGN EMPLOYEES IN FRENCH GUYANA STATED DURING MY VISIT THAT OBTAINING WORK AND RESIDENCE PERMITS FOR UNCLASSIFIED US Department of State Case No Doc No 006511112 Date 03 14 2018 CO 65 1 1 1 1 US Department of State Case No Doc No 006511112 Date 03 14 2018 FOREIGNERS WHO HAVE BEEN OFFERED EMPLOYMENT IN FRENCH GUYANA IS A SIMPLE PRO FORMA MATTER 8 COMMENT MR CHARRON SEEMED SINCERELY TO ACCEPT THE VERSION OF THE RODNEY DEATH WHICH HE RELATED TO ME I SUSPECT BUT HAVE NO PROOF THAT GREGORY SMITH MAY WELL BE AMONG THE 140 EMPLOYEES OF SAHLMAN SEAFOODS IN CAYENNE AS REPORTED IN REFERENCE B HE WILL INCIDENTALLY BE MOVING WITH HIS FAMILY TO PARAMARIBO IN ABOUT THREE MONTHS TIME TO BEGIN TRAWLING SECRET SECRET PAGE 04 MARTIN 00693 1113492 OPERATIONS OUT OF SURINAME WITH SEVEN BOATS FROM THE CAYENNE AND GEORGETOWN FLEETS DWYER SECRET UNCLASSIFIED US Department of State Case No M-2013-15063 Doc No 006511112 Date 03 14 2018 This document is from the holdings of The National Security Archive Suite 701 Gelman Library The George Washington University 2130 H Street NW Washington D C 20037 Phone 202 994-7000 Fax 202 994-7005 nsarchiv@gwu edu