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ACTION ARA-10
INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 CIAE-00 INR-07 NSAE-00 DODE-00 PM-04
NSC-05 SP-02 SS-15 /044 W
--------------------- 091661
R 281759Z APR 76
FM AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 2743
INFO AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
AMEMBASSY CARACAS
AMEMBASSY KINGSTON
AMEMBASSY PORT OF SPAIN
S E C R E T GEORGETOWN 0826
E.O. 11652: XGDS-4 (IMPDET)
TAGS:PFOR, MILI, CU, GY
SUBJECT: MORE ON GUYANESE TROOPS TO CUBA
1. A SOURCE WHO HAS PREVIOUSLY REPORTED BUT WHOSE RELIABILITY
IS STILL BEING EVALUATED INFORMED US HE OBTINED FOLLOWING INFORMATION
ON APRIL 28 (ITEM A) AND APRIL 24 (ITEM B) FROM ACQUAINTANCE WHO
IS FIREMAN AT TIMEHRI AIRPORT:
A. ON MORNING APRIL 28, REGULAR CUBANA AIRLINES WEEKLY FLIGHT
WHICH HAD ARRIVED PREVIOUS DAY WAS PARKED ON CUSTOMARY APRON OFF
RUNWAY WELL AWAY FROM TERMINAL. AT 4:45 A.M; 20 GDF TROOPS IN
CIVILIAN CLOTHES CARRYING PERSONAL KIT WERE TAKENTO PLANE AND
BOARDED. GDF TROOPS REMAINED ON PLANE WHEN IT WAS
TAXIED TO TERMINAL AREA AFTER DAYLIGHT AND DURING SUBSEQUENT
LOADING WITH BAGGAGE AND OTHR PASSENGERS. PLANE TOOK OFF AT REGULARLY
SCHEDULED TIME.
B. UNSPECIFIED BUT LARGER NUMBER OF GDF TROOPS BOARDED REGULAR
CUBANA WEEKLY FLIGHT AT SAME LOCATION APRIL 21 BETWEEN 4:30 AND
5:00 A.M, FOLLOWING SAME PROCEDURE OF REMAINING ON BOARD WHILE
PLANE TAXIED TO TERMINAL AREA AND EMBARKED OTHER PASSENGERS FOR
SCHEDULED TAKEOFF LATER IN MORNING. SOURCE ADDED THAT FIREMAN
ACQUAINTANCE TOLD HIM HE HAD OBSERVED SIMILAR PROCEDURE WHILE ON
DUTY ONE OTHER TIME, BUT SOURCE WAS NOT CERTAIN WHETHER OTHER
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OBSERVATION HAD BEEN DURING PREVIOUS WEEK OR AN EARLIER WEEK.
2. A RELIABLE SECOND SOURCE WAS INFORMED BY A FRIEND WITH IMMI-
GRATION, WHO WAS PRESENT AT THE TIME, THATON APRIL 7, 50 GDF
SOLDIERS HAD BOARDED THE SCHEDULED CUBANA FLIGHT, AGAIN FOLLOWING
THE SAME PROCEDURE DESCRBED ABOVE. AT THAT TIME, IMMIGRATION
OFFICIALS HAD NOT RECEIVED ADVANCE INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING SUCH
ACTIVITY. THEY ATTEMPTED TO QUESTION THE DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THE
TOTAL OF 72 PASSENGERS WHICH THEY HAD COUNTED ON BOARD AND THE
TOTAL OF 22 PASSENGERS OFFICIALLY SHOWN ON THEIR OWN RECORDS AS
HAVING PASSED THROUGH EMIGRATION. HOWEVER, THE IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS
WERE PHYSICALLY THREATENED BY GDF PERSONNEL AT THE AIRPORT AND
WARNED NOT TO INTERFERE. THE PLANE FINALLY TOOK OFF AND NO MENTION
WAS MADE IN THE OFFICIAL IMMIGRATION RECORD OF THE 50 EXTRA
PASSENGERS.
KREBS
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