Liberation > Declassified & Discovered Documents

Liberation: Stage 2

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Stage 2-1

Report on Guatemala 1952, by John Clements & Associates (Digital copy of Entire Document)

The United Fruit Company paid Clements and his public relations firm the equivalent of about $350,000 in 2020 dollars to write a 235-page booklet called Report on Guatemala 1952, which was subsequently placed in official U.S. State Department binders and distributed to U.S. policymakers. Much of the key information in the report was fabricated.

 

Stage 2-2

Memorandum of conversation with Mr. John Montgomery and Mr. Thomas Corcoran of The United Fruit Co

To further push the narrative that communism was afoot in Guatemala, Zemurray also hired former Truman Assistant Secretary of State for Latin America Spruille Braden and the notorious Thomas “Tommy the Cork” Corcoran as lobbyists.

 

Stage 2-3a

Speech by Dulles at the Caracas Convention Attacking Communism

NYTimes printed a copy of John Foster Dulles's speech given at the Tenth Inter-American Conference in Caracas, although it's full of disinformation about communism in Guatemala.

 
 

Stage 2-4

63. Memorandum From [name not declassified] of the Central Intelligence Agency to [name not declassified] of the Central Intelligence Agency

Progress report for PBSUCCESS, and directives and instructions for moving forward. "Mr. Frank Wisner has ordered [name not declassified] to use all WHD covert media to disseminate the Cabot speech and an Arthur Krock column which urges the US government to invoke the Monroe Doctrine in fighting Communism in the Western Hemisphere."

 

Stage 2-8

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of State, confidential

Memo of a call between John Foster Dulles and Guillermo Toriello, where Toriello tries his best at fixing the rift between the two countries with diplomacy. "In short he wanted to know what was wrong and what he could do to put it right."

 

Stage 2-9

Intervention of Communism in Guatemala

The State Department further laundered the Clements report as the primary material for an official government report called Intervention of Communism in Guatemala, which it published as a physical book.

 

Stage 2-10a

Report on Communism in Central America

John Clement's report makes its way to CIA. "This is unevaluated information."

 

Stage 2-10b

Recommended Plan of Operations

The National Security Council's recommendations based on John Clement's report.

 

Stage 2-11

141. Paper Prepared in Operation PBSUCCESS Headquarters in Florida

Detailed proposal to ramp up "seeds of doubt campaign" with step by step instructions. “During the next few weeks, beginning not later than the second week of May, we ought to aim with increasing intensity and urgency at provoking first distrust and finally, open disaffection against the present regime among the armed forces of the Target Country. We ought to use all available outlets for this purpose, in particular (a) Radio, (b) La Voz, (c) rumors which ought to be initiated through radio and press, but also passed on by direct word of mouth.”

 

Stage 2-12a

WSBURNT White Paper

Copy of documents that were leaked to Panama's President by the Guatemalan Ambassador and given to Arbenz and the press.

 

Stage 2-12b

93. Telegram From Operation PBSUCCESS Headquarters in Florida to the Central Intelligence Agency

Detailed list of compromised information from White Paper, and what may or may not have been compromised.

 

Stage 2-13a

108. Memorandurn (sic) for the Record

Memo of J.C. King's in person meeting with Seekford in the US, where they discuss his blunder and the possible next steps. "I asked him how it was possible, with all of the security indoctrination which he had had, plus the great emphasis on secrecy based on all phases of PBSUCCESS, to have done such an unpardonable thing as to leave sensitive papers in a hotel room. He replied that he had no explanation, that it was a stupid, unpardonable thing to do, but that it was an act of thoughtlessness and carelessness."

 

Stage 2-13b

103. Memorandum From the Chief of the Western Hemisphere Division, Central Intelligence Agency (King) to the Deputy Director for Plans of the Central Intelligence Agency (Wisner

J.C. King briefs Frank Wisner on White Paper Leak. "Mr. [name not declassified] has been recalled to headquarters from his home in [place not declassified]. He will be given a very thorough and detailed interrogation. "

 

Stage 2-14a

Conference with Seekford

Seekford's activities and recommendations with Calligeris, including his recommendation for weapons and military assistance.

 

Stage 2-14b

Memo, Conversation between (name not declassified) and Seekford

Seekford report on RUFUS, and his detailed recommendations.

 

Stage 2-15

Key Figure in Washington Raid Is Reported Fugitive in Europe

News report documenting the search for E. Howard Hunt after his role in the Watergate break-in, years after he took part in operation PBSuccess.

 

Stage 2-16a

Article 3 — No Title

Reports on students thinking that the government faked White Paper documents.

 

Stage 2-16b

GUATEMALA SAYS NEIGHBORS AND U.S. PLOT AN INVASION

Guatemala accuses US and neighbors of "a heavily financed plot to invade Guatemala by land, sea and air was in preparation with the support of Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza". Somoza denies charges.

 

Stage 2-17

CABLE RE: GUATEMALAN WHITE PAPER CHARGES

Orders the placement of articles and cartoons with the theme that Guatemala is a "stooge" for the USSR.

 

Stage 2-18

89. Telegram From Operation PBSUCCESS Headquarters in Florida to the CIA Stations in Guatemala and [place not declassified]

Guidance following White Paper Leak. Suggests ridicule, de-amplify, diversionary actions, and to take a positive stance. "If possible, fabricate big human interest story, like flying saucers, birth sextuplets in remote area to take play away."

 

Stage 2-19

113. Memorandum for the Record

In a weekly PBSUCCESS meeting, top Government officials discuss the next steps in the light of the deteriorating situation. "We might reconsider exploiting the conclusion arrived at by Trujillo last year and transmitted to Perez Jimenez that the best way to bring about the fall of the Arbenz government would be to eliminate 15-20 of its leaders with Trujillo’s trained pistoleros."

 

Stage 2-20a

Pacto Ydigoras Fuentes Castillo Armas Suscrito

Documents about the Castillo Armas plot are published in press

 
Stage 2-20b.JPG

Stage 2-20b

guatemalan papers print Leaked documents from castillo armas plot

The press reports on proof of a conspiracy against Arbenz, based on documents Delgado provided to the Arbenz administration, who provided them to the press.

 

Stage 2-21

61. Memorandum for the Record

Memo with PBSUCCESS personnel and gameplan for executing the mission which included military assistance to Guatemala's neighbors, economic pressure and psychological warfare.

 

Stage 2-22

Operation Diablo (Soldier of Fortune Magazine, 1976)

A contract mercenary recalls his time working with John A. Clements Associates, United Fruit’s secret PR firm, which was paid to create dubious reports for the CIA to launder into official U.S. government reports during Operation PBSuccess.