1982 12 31 1713 SECitEI te Printed 12 11 1997 PAGE 01 ACTION SS-25 ooc_ Clfl ll2 GUATEM 09732 01 OF 02 CHANNEL n a 311720Z COPY-01 ADS-00 SS0-00 026 W ------------------125177 311740Z 51 0 311713Z DEC 82 FM AMEMBASSY GUATEMALA TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2654 INFO OCT-00 S CR E SECTION 01 OF 02 GUATEMALA 09732 - OECAPTIONEO EXDI - E O 12356 DECL OADR TAGS PINS PGOV SHUM GT SUBJECT S POSSIBLE MASSACRE IN DOS R'S EL PETEN REF GUATEMALA 9670 1 S - ENTIRE TEXT 2 SUMMARY ON DECEMBER 30 THREE MISSION MEMBERS AND A THIRD COUNTRY DIPLOMAT VISITED POPTUN AND LAS CRUCES EL PETEN IN AN ATTEMPT TO CHECK AN ALLEGED MASSACRE AT DOS R'S NEAR LAS CRUCES AS REPORTED BY SOURCE IN REFTEL uoos R'S EXISTS IT IS SOME 10-12 KMS NORTHWEST OF LAS CRUCES BUT IS NOT REALLY A VILLAGE OR EVEN A HAMLET DOS R'S CONSISTS OF SCATTERED HOUSES AND GROUPS OF HOUSES THEY ARE ALL DESERTED AND MANY HAVE BEEN BURNT ARMY OFFICIALS SAID GUERRILLAS TOOK THE PEOPLE AWAY EARLY IN DECEMBER LOCAL CIVILIAN OFFICIALS IN LAS CRUCES CALLED IT A MYSTERY AND A SOURCE IN LAS CRUCES TOLD A MISSION MEMBER THAT THE ARMY WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE PEOPLE IN THE AREA THIS SOURCE WAS TOLD TO STAY OUT OF THE AREA ON A CERTAIN DAY BECAUSE THE ARMY WAS GOING TO SWEEP THROUGH AND CLEAN OUT THE AREA IN ANY CASE THE SETTLEMENT CALLED DOS R'S IN EL PETEN HAS BEEN WIPED OUT SECRET S ECREJI' PAGE 02 GUATEM 09732 01 OF 02 311720Z END SUMMARY 3 THE MISSION TEAM FIRST VISITED THE ARMY BASE IN Page - 1 llNClASSIFlrn 5 14 90 CHANNEL n a te Printed 12 11 1997 POPTIJN EL PETEN THE OPERATIONS OFFICER THERE STATED THAT THE AREA NEAR LAS CRUCES WAS EXCEPTIONALLY DANGEROUS BECAUSE OF RECENT GUERRILLA ACTIVITY INCLUDING SEVERAL AMBUSHES OF ARMY PATROLS NOTE THIS IS TRUE THE PRESS REPORTED SUCH AMBUSHES BASED ON ARMY PRESS RELEASES IN OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER END NOTE MISSION MEMBERS WERE TOLD THAT DOS R'S HAD SUFFERED A GUERRILLA ATTACK IN EARLY DECEMBER THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE IN THE AREA SETTLERS FROM ALL AREAS OF GUATEMALA WERE ALLEGEDLY TAKEN AWAY WITH A FEW SURVIVORS FLEEING TO LAS CRUCES THE OFFICER INVITED THE MISSION MEMBERS TO VISIT LAS CRUCES NOTING THAT DOS R'S COULD ALSO BE VISITED BUT ONLY AT CONSIDERABLE RISK 4 MISSION MEMBERS THEN FLEW DIRECTLY TO LAS CRUCES USING THE DIRECTIONS PROVIDED BY REFTEL'S SOURCE THE MISSION TEAM EASILY LOCATED THE AREA IN QUESTION THE SETTLERS HAD SPREAD OVER A FAIRLY WIDE AREA SOME 10-12 KILOMETERS NORTHWEST OF LAS CRUCES ALL OF THE HOUSES IN THIS AREA WERE DESERTED MANY HAD BEEN RAZED OR DESTROYED BY FIRE AT THIS POINT THE HELICOPTER PILOT REFUSED TO TOUCH DOWN HE DID AGREE HOWEVER TO SWEEP LOW OVER THE AREA THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF LIFE IT WAS ONLY AT THIS POINT THAT THE MISSION TEAM WHEELED ABOUT AND FLEW INTO LAS CRUCES HOUSES HAD ALSO BEEN DESTROYED WITHIN TWO OR THREE KIOLMETERS OF LAS CRUCES r - _ 'J - • 5 AT LAS CRUCES MISSION MEMBERS INQUIRED AFTER SURVIVORS FROM DOS R'S STATING THAT WE UNDERSTOOD SEC EtE1' PAGE 03 GUATEM 09732 01 OF 02 311720Z SEVERAL WERE TO BE FOUND THERE THERE WERE NONE ONE LADY HAD BEEN LIVING IN THE VICINITY BUT KNEW NOTHING THE MAYOR OF LAS CRUCES WHEN ASKED WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PEOPLE OF DOS R'S SIMPLY STATED THAT IT WAS A MYSTERY NO ONE COULD IMAGINE WHAT HAPPENED THE PEOPLE OF DOS R'S SOME 200 TO 500 IN NUMBER HAD DISAPPEARED SOME 15 DAYS BEFORE NO ONE SEEMED CERTAIN ABOUT THE PRECISE NUMBER OF SETTLERS LIVING IN THE AREA A COUPLE LATER TOLD MISSION MEMBERS THAT THEY HAD LOST FIVE SONS IN THE AREA ALL DISAPPEARED AROUND DECEMBER 4 AND ALL WERE LIVING IN LAS CRUCES BUT WORKING NEAR DOS R'S IT WAS CLEAR THAT THE COUPLE THOUGHT THEIR CHILDREN DEAD Page - 2 UNCLASSIFIED 90 CHANNEL n a te Printed 12 11 1997 6 ANOTHER SOURCE IN LAS CRUCES A CIVIL DEFENSE MEMBER AND APPARENT CONFIDANT OF THE ARMY IN THE AREA TOLD A MISSION MEMBER THAT THE ARMY WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE PEOPLE OF DOS R'S HE STATED HE WAS TOLD TO KEEP OUT OF THE AREA ON A CERTAIN DAY APPARENTLY IN EARLY DECEMBER BECAUSE THE ARMY WAS GOING TO SWEEP THROUGH THE ARMY HE SAID HAD INDEED DONE SO AND WHATEVER HAD HAPPENED TO THE PEOPLE THERE HAD HAPPENED TO THEM AT THE HANDS OF THE ARMY THE SOURCE SAID THE ARMY SWEPT THROUGH THE AREA IN CIVILIAN DRESS BUT WEARING STANDARD ISSUE COMBAT BOOTS AND CARRYING GALIL RIFLES NOTE THIS INFORMATION MATCHES CLOSELY WITH THE RUMORS CURRENTLY MAKING THE ROUNDS OF THE AREA AS REPORTED BY SOURCE OF REFTEL END NOTE THE SOURCE WENT ON TO SAY THAT THE PEOPLE OF THE AREA PREVIOUSLY AT PEACE AND LIVING IN RELATIVE PROSPERITY NNN ACRET PAGE 01 ACTION SS-25 GUATEM 09732 02 OF 02 311721Z COPY-01 ADS-00 SSO-00 026 W ------------------125146 311740Z 51 0 311713Z DEC 82 FM AMEMBASSY GUATEMALA TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2655 INFO OCT-00 S CR ST SECTION 02 OF 02 GUATEMALA 09732 Page - 3 UNClASS HEil 90 e Printed 12 11 1997 CHANNEL n a WERE NOW CAUGHT BETWEEN THE THREATS OF FAR GUERRILLAS AND · THE FEROCITY OF ARMY REACTIONS TO GUERRILLA AMBUSHES HE AND OTHERS LIKE HIM DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO THEY ARE PRO-GOVERNMENT HE STATED BUT DO NOT LIKE TO SEE THE ARMY TAKING SUCH DRASTIC MEASURES IN ITS COUNTERINSURGENCY CAMPAIGN 7 COMMENT THERE WAS A DEFINITE ATMOSPHERE OF FEAR IN LAS CRUCES THE LOCAL ARMY COMMANDER A LIEUTENANT WAS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND IT IS SOMEWHAT DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE THAT THE DISAPPEARANCE AND POSSIBLE LIQUIDATION OF HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE SO CLOSE TO LAS CRUCES COULD REMAIN A MYSTERY FOR WEEKS BASED ON INFORMATION REPORTED BY SOURCE IN REFTEL AND ON-SITE OBSERVATIONS MADE ON DECEMBER 3 0 THE EMBASSY MUST CONCLUDE THAT THE PARTY MOST LIKELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS INCIDENT IS THE GUATEMALAN ARMY END COMMENT 8 A FINAL PROCEDURAL NOTE THE THREE MISSION MEMBERS WERE DRAWN FROM THE THREE MISSION ELEMENTS MOST DEEPLY INVOLVED IN POLITICAL REPORTING THEY FLEW IN A CIVILIAN HELICOPTER CHARTERED BY THE EMBASSY AND FLOWN BY A GUATEMALAN PILOT WHO IS LIKE OTHER CIVILIAN PILOTS A RESERVE OFFICER IN THE GUATEMALAN AIR FORCE THE TRIP WAS CLEARED IN ADVANCE ON DECEMBER 29 BY THE S CRB'f' _ SECRE' F PAGE 02 -GUATEM 09732 02 OF 02 311721Z GUATEMALAN GOVERNMENT ARMY G-2 WHICH KNEW THE PLACES TO BE VISITED AND THE NAMES OF THE TRAVELERS THE THIRD COUNTRY DIPLOMAT WHO ACCOMPANIED OUR OFFICERS WAS ALEXANDER GRAHAM FIRST SECRETARY AND CONSUL OF THE CANADIAN EMBASSY MR GRAHAM COMMENTED AFTER THE TRIP THAT HE WAS UNSURE OF WHAT TO CONCLUDE FROM WHAT HE HAD SEEN AND SPECIFICALLY WAS RELUCTANT TO SPECULATE AS TO WHO MIGHT HAVE DESTROYED DOS R'S TAYLOR Page - 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