CW HISTORICAL REVIEW PROGRAM RELEASE AS SANITIZED
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Ma.nRAt;uuK fori chilt of project
Report of Trip to El4
Philip C. Roettinger
1. of tripi
A, Determine the nost practicable method of arms ingress into Guatemala.
B. Set up that method so that suoh ingress could be Initiateduitable timeinimum of further arranging
2. Upon arrival in San Salvador contact was mode withith whom the problem was dloouseed in more or less general terms. He was found to be nost interested in accomplishing; the task and was nest cooperative. In the conversation several methods of arms ingress were mentioned and discussed. It was his opinion, based upon both bis experienceailroad man and also his experience In operations of this type in which he had taken part in the post, that the use of the railroad for arms ingress in tbe usual manner was not suitable in this case. He wat sure that any attempt to hide arms and equipmenthipment of any kind would be extremely risky. umber of commodities were brought up and all were deemed ineffective and dangerous. At this particular time such things as feed and groins are not shipped to Guatemala as they are in the dry season. It was pointed out that the only shiroent which would not arouse too much suspicion would be either salt or cotton. The former is sometimeo shipped to the Zacapa area and the latter to Puerto Barr;oe. Neither of these is shipped in large quuntitles at trie time of year, however, and he added that the only safe way to ship arms in this manner isarload lot. Loss than carload lots are subject to much more rigid inspections at the border. All this ledecision not to use this method. It had been suggested that packages of arum bo tied under the railroad cars, being removed at some isolated stop across the border. etoed this plan as bc-'lnr iij-ractlceblc due to the feet that each car ishorough inspection at the border which wnuld uuroly revoal these This dl^cuscior lastcxi for the better pert of the efternoon.
following morning oontact was made witbC- eeting was requested with JOBATE, It woo reportedwas not in town and would not return until the followinga little questioning it was determined that JUBATE wouldunable to help in thia problem as his oompany has very littleand from Guatemala. uggestion had been made relative toof planing packages of arras within gasoline tank carsto end from Guatemala, It was this suggestion that led tomeeting with JUBATE, It was determined, however,company does little of this sort of traffic, obtaininggasoline from tbe southwestern part of El Salvador at theof Outuco. It developed that most of the aviation gas comesfroawhile most of the actor gaseither San Jose orhe aviation gas is loaded intoat Puerto Barrios and is hauled through Guatemala on down to
El Salvador where it la delivered at Ilopango Airport, The cars are then taken beak to Puerto Barrios, empty* til this was learnedecond meeting withn the following day. When the suggestion was mode to utilize these eopty tank cars for tho transtsrrtation of arms,araedlately ooncured. Be had not thought of this method and added that for this very reason it might be by far the best method. He felt that very few people would ever think ofethod end believed that it would be successful. These tank oars never have boon subjected to en inspection at the border. Whengreed with theetailed plan of operation was worked out.
plan for the utilization of empty tank cars follows i
are brought Into El Salvador, either with orconsontreferably with hie consent. are in progress at this time to gain that consent* Ideally will be flown into Ilopango Airport just beforescheduled activity takes place at that time, as allleave during the daylight hours). The arms will bea reasonably concealed spot*
dark the arms packages will be teien across(Pan Aesrican Highway)ailroad siding which isenough from the airport to permit activity without muchdetection. They will be placed in any one or all of twotank cars which are left on the siding two or three times The ears are left there overnight after the aviationbeen unloaded.
c. The following Doming the cure exo picked up andtowards Puerto Barrios, The serial number of the earstho arms have been placed will be oent to ourGuatemala City. Tentatively this man is one
eu'mi by* cuing ju*t
uie man lorJob,has been engaged In this type of work_ ord to either Zacapa or Ipala (whiohever spot as jii"the time)ew oars to be spottediding. Ho canvery plausible reason for this, suchoutineon tbe line from those points tos group of cars will be the tank oars bearingsent tcwhich will be carrying arms*
D. Oar people in either Zacapa of Ipala will remove the arms under cover of darkness. The oars will continue to Puerto Barrios the following day,
". In the event that our people are prevented from removingfrom the oars for one reason or otbor bofore they are pickedthe trip to Puerto Barrios, two things can be donei n Puertooan see that
they are anloeded there, of (B)o ao&qoc. with gono with the arms reraeivlng in the tanks. This will not harm the arms and it might be better than trying to unload the tan* cars at Puerto Barrios where conditions such as restricted yards (which cordltion does not exist at Zacapa or Ipala) might oauoe undue attention to be drawn to the operation. Then the arms can be returned all the way back to Hopango, ef necessary, of 3 having been informed of the alip, can have that particularar brought to Guatemala City and spottediding there after tbe asollns has been unloaded for the airport.
6, flOTfci The packages of arras have to be prepared with two things in mind:
havo to bo of such nature that the novamont ofwill not cause Jangling Inside the tank car which wouldto that car, and
have to be of such nature that gasoline s'.udgeoause them to come apart. It is belloved that neitherorollno will do any harm to the arms. It mayeffect upon aranunlllon, although if the latter isthe gas should not penetrateerious cxtont.
7, Tho pitfalls of this oporation arei
The plan must be guarded carefully andof people must know of it. ur onlynd the
auaro of the plan. This is already
coo many, oui,e.. It is believed that the gasolinebe kept out of the plan unless it becomesto inform it. The man in charge of3 inpersonal friend of JuliCTTjru. a, uat he did not
rccocBwna miorming bin of tho plan.
1 The numbers of the tank care must beC rompUy as the cars aro picked up the day afterore placed within end are usually in the Zaeape area rauot have the numbers in tino toto Zscapa so tnat, cne cars may bo cut out of the trainin Zscapa,
A few technical details remain to bo ironed out. Some of these arei the exact size of the packages to insure that thoy can be inserted and removed from the manholes in the top of the tank cars. Upon leaving Salvador, the undersigned went to Uopango Airport about an hour early. While waiting for his plane he made extensive photos of the field and environs including the siding across the roSd and the tank cars.
Finally, in the event that these ahipnonts are apprehonded by the Guatemalan authorities, no implication of our government will result, as the nature of the arms (majority of Soviet manufacture) will tend to Incrl-ninatc Guatemala itself as bringing in ants for lta own Corarunists.greed to tho suggestion that his company would play the injured party and would issue loud protests to the Quatonalan government should arms be discovered.
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PHILIPER
Original document.
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