DOCUMENTARY INFORMATION ON COMMUNIST INFILTRATION IN GUATEMALA (W/ATTACHMENTS)

Created: 8/6/1954

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Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. U. S. Mission to United Nations Two Park Avenue New York, New York

SUBJECT: Documentary Information on Communiat

Infiltration in

Dear Cabot:

I enclose two copiesamphlet we have just producedew of the documents picked up by our people in Guatemala immediately after the collapse of the Arbenx regime. The pamphlet is classified only because of the circumstances under which we secured the documents. We hope to be able to clear up this point with the Guatemalan authorities and remove the classification. As soon as we can work this out we will let you know.

The pamphletew selected specimens outery Large number of papers picked up in Guatemala which we have just begun to sort and analyse. They tend to show the nature and extent of the Communist infiltration of the Guatemalan Government under Arbenz. Please note particularly numbers, and 9. These show the party lii.ic.__

Aa we find additional Guatemalan documents of interest to yiv.i, we will see that they are sent on.

Faithfully yours.

Allen W. Dulles Director

AWD:iiea Disiributton: rig c

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: Tha Director of Central imVellirence

Infonvtion concerning Guatemalan

situationj attached prooosed letter to Ambassador Cabot Lodce.

1. Attached hereto is theroposed letter to Oai.ot1 aiscujsed nith you Sunday and s; ain yestc.dsy Morning. Ithat the lettert longer than you custfnarilv like toj shouldo po*nt out that atert of nyerbosity isrr^ng to grindrfrer ntoned thisHdit'onai oioorti-ir tvCaV.ctl.ov Ma that wcr-ia,id -roared to Trovidoin.-on-Atir-. nk it.do Mm fcod to rwdbut sinceot be incHned to do so, I"* rrs-jeptirt' cedents. othe re-sen Tor the aecretvO inform hSm th-jt wo Lose-a *uto classification entirely. anted Mm toUrsacr, vfcc wasa titoutala the-erarr onis ccVG3o'hody bad taken Infers nrrbocV at. inf on.) wj?V, :gethack aij.rit'ri. lr-ite .'r-cr,oldc lot ofr* myocc-vnts o"ruth Td

fsettvlhe ffeer, 'tt tva? i'ar rrwfortw iiccescfal.

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containing reproductions of some twenty odd documents which were

collected by our people in Guatemalaew hours after Ihe

collapse of the Arbenz regime. m aware of the fact that

generally speaking you prefer not to receive documents which are classified, but in this particular case it has seemed to me thatumber of reasons you might like tohance to read this small collection of documents. The only reason why this document is classified as it is, is because of the fact that in the confusion that prevailed in Guatemala during the period of the first three juntas which followed in rapid succession after Arbenz' resignation, there was no way of obtaining appropriate official permission to collect these documents without seriously prejudicing our opportunity of getting them. This is in the process of being regularized at the present time andery fewhould beosition lo notify you of their complete declassification. This will remove any restraint upon

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upon your public use of them or your reference to them in any

private conversations which you may wish lo have with your associates

and foreign colleagues.

m sending to you containsew

hastily selected specimensuch larger number of documents which wc have seen but only just begun to sort out and analyze. The documents are especially interesting to me because they serve to confirm the accuracy of our^estimates of the nature and extent of the communist infiltration and control of the Guatemalanmechanism under Arbenz. Your attention is invited in particular to documentsnd ist of questions drawn up by the military leaders in Guatemala for submission torArbenz, togetherraft of his proposed reply to these questions. Wc were aware -at the time that the questions were being submitted to Arbenz and we were most interested to discover the exact nature and content of the questions, revealing as they are of the many points of concern in the minds of patriotic Guatemalans who were viewing with increasing alarm the steady progress of the Communist plot to take Over the government completely. The answers to the questions are likewise most illuminating, since they reveal obx rather clearly the extent to which Arbenz hadaptive to the Moscow and

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Prague trained communists by which he permitted himself toand guided. We suspect that *and

perhaps one or two otherfcof the leading communists either drafted or strongly influenced the preparation of Arbenz' reply, although we have not as yet been able to confirm this fact due to the unavailability of any of the necessary witnesses. The party line shows through so clearly, however, as to lead us to the conclusion that Arbenz cither

answered or was about to answer the raiiitare questions^which were

both pertinent and revealing,eries of replies craftily

calculated to turn aside or gloss over every single question raised.

I believe you will find otherjof the documents enlightening and as

opportunity arises, you may find it both desirable and convenient

to share some of this information with othersave suggested.

I-believe tlia^'itdoswebhi toaa,

copy ofsier- wbish I aumlWi^ liu jou to Sir Picrson Dixon for hisand. confidential information, ^have ii_*bVi uvavlJblt

copies of this brochure to the British Embassy in Washington and I

hope that at least one copy will be forwarde-tby them to the Foreign

Office. However, in view of the obstacles which seem to impede

the flow of essential information to the senior delegates who represent

their nations respectively at the United Nations, it has seemed to mc

that it would be useful for Sir Pierson Dixon toopy from v&

you. m more persuaded to this conclusion because of my understanding a

thai he was not well informed at the time of the Security Council debates and that he may^bet under some misapprehension regarding the facts and Ihe Irue nature of the events which led up to the Guatemalan uprising against the Arbenz regime. ave followed with concern the parliamentary debates, as well-as the British press, on the subject of recent Guatemalan developments, and it seems very clear to me that there has been the most appalling lack of understanding on the part of our British friends^ There are many reasons why this was so, but at any rate it is still important to get the record straight.o not know whether the Foreign Office will feel compelled to reraise the Guatemalanhe Security Council,ave been told that they may do this because of their concern about what they consider toad precedent^ -hi the referenceart of the dispute to the OAS Regional Organization. ather their concern arises out ofossibility that the Soviet government and/or its Communist satellites and confederates, might attempt to have recourseimilar device basedoncocted regional organization, just in case they have in mind taking any agigressive actions against such countries as Finland, Burma, Siam or even Laos or Cambodia.

Irrespective of what decision the Foreign Office may ultimately take with respect to further Security Council proceedings on the

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Guatemalanm informed that the Foreign Office is in the process of preparing forWhite Paper" onm somewhat concerned lest this "White Paper" be released without the inclusionufficient amount of factual information which would tend Lo balance, if not cancel out, the well established mis-mppa&anatx representations of Arbenz, Toricllo and their Soviet friends both in the United Nations and elsewhere. Perhaps you xxsgtx might be willing to say something to Sir Pierson in this regard.

Please do not hesitate to let mc know if you are interested in additional material on this subject. We will shortly have large additional quantities of documentary and other materialhall be most happy to make available to you for your purposes.

Faithfully yours,

Allen W. Dulles Director

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Original document.

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