<SANITIZED> VIEWS OF DETERIORATING BILATERAL RELATIONS WITH THE UNITED STATES BECAUSE OF HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE CASES; REACTIONS TO AWARDING OF NOBEL PEACE PRIZE TO INDIGENOUS ACTIVIST RIGOBERTA MENCHU

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 00740855
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: April 10, 2018
• Case Number: F-2017-00058
• Publication Date: October 28, 1992

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
WARNING: INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE.
REPORT CLASS S E T--WNINTEL--NOFORN--
DIST: 28 OCTOBER 1992
COUNTRY: GUATEMALA
SUBJ:
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VIEWS OF DETERIORATING
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BILATERAL RELATIONS WITH THE UNITED STATES BECAUSE OF HUMAN
RIGHTS ABUSE CASES; REACTIONS TO AWARDING OF NOBEL PEACE
PRIZE TO INDIGENOUS ACTIVIST RIGOBERTA MENCHU
THE DETERIORATING
STATE OF BILATERAL RELATIONS BETWEEN GUATEMALA AND THE UNITED STATES.
ATTRIBUTED THE WORSENING OF RELATIONS TO THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT'S ACTIVE INTEREST IN ALLEGED HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES BY THE
GUATEMALAN ARMY OR SECURITY SERVICES. RELATIONS REACHED
THEIR LOWEST POINT IN RECENT YEARS AFTER THE U.S. GOVERNMENT ISSUED A
TOURIST VISA TO SAN CARLOS UNIVERSITY STUDENT ACTIVIST MARITZA
((URRUTIA)) GARCIA ON 5 AUGUST. (FIELD COMMENT: URRUTIA WAS
KIDNAPPED ON 23 JULY IN GUATEMALA CITY AND RELEASED SHORTLY
THEREAFTER BY AN UNIDENTIFIED GROUP OF ARMED INDIVIDUALS. WHILE THE
GUATEMALAN GOVERNMENT IDENTIFIES URRUTIA AS A GUERRILLA SYMPATHIZER
AND ACTIVIST AND DISAVOWS ANY KNOWLEDGE OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR HER
KIDNAPPING, URRUTIA CLAIMS SHE WAS ABDUCTED BY MEMBERS OF THE
SECURITY FORCES.)
2. THAT A
GUATEMALAN NATIONAL REVOLUTIONARY UNION POLITICAL LEADER IN MEXICO,
DR. LUIS FELIPE ((BECKER)) GUZMAN, WAS INTERESTED IN APPLYING OR MAY
HAVE ALREADY APPLIED FOR A U.S. VISA. ACCORDING TO
BECKER SUPPORTS TERRORISM, AND THE U.S. GOVERNMENT WOULD
CLEARLY BE HARBORING A TERRORIST IF HE WERE ISSUED A VISA AND
PERMITTED TO ENTER THE U.S. REGARDING ANOTHER HUMAN RIGHTS
VIOLATION, SOME SENIOR GUATEMALAN ARMY OFFICERS BELIEVE THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT IS SUPPORTING EFFORTS BY THE FAMILY OF MURDERED GUATEMALAN
ANTHROPOLOGIST MYRNA ((MACK)) CHANG TO IMPLICATE OR IDENTIFY
nUATPMALAN OPPTCPRR DI.S RESPONSIBLE FOR HER SEPTEMBER 1990 MURDER.
THAT THE MACK TRIAL WAS A WITCH HUNT AND THAT
SECURITY FORCES NEITHER PLANNED NOR ORDERED THE ANTHROPOLOGIST'S
MURDER.
3. THAT SENIOR OFFICERS ARE
FREQUENTLY ANGERED BY THE PERCEIVED ATTITUDE OF U.S. OFFICIALS THAT
GOVERNMENT FORCES ARE ALWAYS GUILTY OF ALLEGED HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES
EVEN BEFORE INVESTIGATIONS HAVE BEGUN. GUATEMALAN MILITARY OFFICERS
VIEW AS LEFTIST PROPAGANDA MOST OF THE ACCUSATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS
VIOLATIONS WHICH COME FROM PERSONS AFFILIATED WITH POLITICAL FRONT
GROUPS FOR GUERRILLA ORGANIZATIONS. THE OFFICERS CANNOT UNDERSTAND
HOW THE U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCEPTS AT FACE VALUE SUCH CHARGES WHEN THE
U.S. HAS SUCCESSFULLY COMBATED COMMUNIST PROPAGANDA AND PERSEVERED TO
WIN THE COLD WAR. SENIOR OFFICERS ARE ANGRY THAT THE U.S. GOVERNMENT
CONTINUES TO DENY MILITARY ASSISTANCE TO THE GUATEMALAN ARMED FORCES
BECAUSE OF ALLEGED HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS. THEY ALSO NOTE A GENERAL
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TREND THAT NONMILITARY U.S. ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE IS ERODING AND
FORESEE LITTLE INCENTIVE TO ACCEPT ANY FUTURE U.S. GOVERNMENT
PRESSURE TO INVESTIGATE HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES.
CONTRARY TO MENCHU'S POPULAR IMAGE ABROAD, IT IS
COMMON KNOWLEDGE WITHIN GUATEMALA THAT MENCHU'S FAMILY WAS NOT
MARTYRED FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS GUATEMALANS. FOR
EXAMPLE, MENCHU'S FATHER, VICENTE ((MENCHU)), WAS KILLED WHILE
CARRYING OUT A TERRORIST ATTACK AGAINST THE SPANISH EMBASSY IN
GUATEMALA CITY IN THE LATE 1970'S.
CHARACTERIZED MENCHU AS
A SOMEWHAT DIM-WITTED PAWN OR DUPE OF OTHER, UNNAMED LEFTTST
ACTIVISTS HAVING CONSIDERABLY MORE POLITICAL SAVVY. NEWS
THAT MENCHU HAD WON THE AWARD CAUSED
TO QUESTION THE MORAL CORRECTNESS OF THEIR YEARS-LONG STRUGGLE
AGAINST THE COMMUNIST-SUPPORTED INSURGENCY IN GUATEMALA. IT SEEMED
INCOMPREHENSIBLE THAT INTERNATIONAL HONOR AND PRESTIGE COULD
BE GIVEN TO A GUERRILLA OR INSURGENT SYMPATHIZER AND ACTIVIST.
6. ACCORDING TO THERE IS A GREAT
DEAL OF DISCONTENT WITHN THE ARMED FORCES, ESPECIALLY THE HIGH
COMMAND, OVER THE DETERIORATION IN RELATIONS BETWEEN THE U.S. AND
GUATEMALA. MOST SENIOR OFFICERS BELIEVE BILATERAL RELATIONS ARE AT
THEIR LOWEST POINT IN 10 YEARS. THERE IS A PERCEPTION THAT THE U.S.
IS UNJUSTLY CRITICIZING THE ARMED FORCES AND THAT THERE IS NO
INCENTIVE FOR THE MILITARY TO SUPPORT HUMAN RIGHTS. IN ADDITION,
THERE IS DISCONTENT WITHIN THE ARMED FORCES BECAUSE OF A PERCEPTION
THAT, WHILE THE HUMAN RIGHTS PROBLEM HAS IMPROVED, THE ARMY IS UNDER
GREATER ATTACK THAN BEFORE. THE ARMY CONTINUES TO BE CRITICIZED BY
INTERNATIONAL GROUPS, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, AND GUATEMALAN OFFICIALS
AND POLITICIANS. THERE IS A GENERAL BELIEF THAT VARIOUS SECTORS OF
GUATEMALAN SOCIETY AND INTERNATIONAL GROUPS ARE TRYING TO DESTROY THE
ARMY AS AN INSTITUTION. THERE ALSO ARE GROWING COMPLAINTS AMONG
JUNIOR OFFICERS REGARDING THEIR LOW SALARIES IN COMPARISON TO THOSE
OF GUATEMALAN CONGRESSMEN. MILITARY OFFICERS BELIEVE THIS IS
UNJUSTIFIED GIVEN THAT THEY SACRIFICE THEIR LIVES ON A REGULAR BASIS
WHILE CONGRESS IS ONCERNED WITH PERSONAL FINANCIAL GAIN. ACCORDING
TO THIS IS LEADING TO GROWING DISCONTENT WITH THE (b)(1)
DEMOCRATIC PROCESS WITHIN THE MILITARY OFFICER CORPS. (FIELD (b)(3)
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COMMENT: THE MEDIAN SALARY OF OFFICERS IS 1,800 QUETZALES PER MONTH,
OR APPROXIMATELY U.S. $360 AT THE CURRENT EXCHANGE RATE OF U.S. $1
EQUALS ABOUT 5 QUETZALES. GUATEMALAN CONGRESSMEN EARN 17,000-18,000
QUETZALES PER MONTH, OR APPROXIMATELY U.S. $3,400-$3,600 AT THE
CURRENT EXCHANGE RATE.)
WARNING: REPORT CLASSSECRET--WARNING NOTICE-INTELLIGENCE
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