United States diplomatic cables from 1973 to 1978 have shed light on Washington’s views on many Guyana developments during that period, notably the controversial 1973 general elections. In the coming days, Stabroek News will be carrying excerpts from some of the cables in addition to news items. The cables had been prepared for release by the US State Department but there had been a delay. They were subsequently released by whistle-blowing website Wikileaks. The organisation became widely known when it released 251,287 diplomatic cables, nearly all from 2003 to 2010. The non-profit, organisation publishes secret information, news leaks, and classified media from anonymous sources.
US diplomatic cables show that American diplomats here were stunned at what they saw as widespread rigging of the July 16, 1973 general elections by the then PNC government and a decision was taken by Washington not to congratulate Prime Minister Forbes Burnham on the `win’.
The 1973 elections had been described by the opposition PPP, other political parties and civil society groups as “crooked as barb wire” and Washington’s diplomats here also seemed to be taken aback by the scale of the rigging.
A July 19, 1973 cable from the US embassy here to missions in Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad listed the returns which had given the PNC 37 seats, the PPP 14 seats, the People’s Demo cratic Movement one seat and the Liberator Party zero and then expressed amazement at the rigging.
“In attempting its forecast of this election (Ref A), Embassy had not really expected PNC to abandon all pretense of honest election. In event, however, this is what appears to have happened. Whether out of fear, confusion, inefficiency, exuberance or sheer lack of coordination, rigging does seem to have gotten out of hand.
From all reports, ballot boxes were delivered by a variety of means Monday night to Guyana Defense Force (GDF) Headquarters in Georgetown where they remained under armed guard for upwards of 10 hours before vote counting began. PPP evidently succeeded only too well in alarming PNC by its last minute exhortations to its followers to prevent removal of ballot boxes to three central counting locations. (Evidently), plans to engage in ballot-box stuffing and switching while boxes being delivered, as had apparently been the original intention, were abandoned and stuffing and switching seems to have taken place while the boxes (were) held at GDF Headquarters before delivery to three counting locations”. The cable said.
It then wryly added that as the United States had expended much time and “treasure” in the past to keeping PPP Leader Dr Cheddi Jagan out of office “we should perhaps not be too disturbed at results this election. Jagan is still out, and Burnham still in”.
The cable went on to say that all was quiet in Georgetown though there were rumours of discontent in East Indian areas in Berbice and Corentyne.
“It is too early to predict whether results of this blatantly fraudulent election will be accepted or whether there is trouble ahead”, the cable said.
This cable was followed by one from the US State Department on July 21, 1973 to the Georgetown Embassy in relation to a congratulatory message to Burnham.
The State Department said “In view of blatantly fraudulent nature of those elections …and of the potentially tense racial situation which that fraud might provoke, we now have serious reservations about such a message. In the absence of any overriding considerations, we dont repeat not plan (to) send congratulatory message to Burnham”.
The cable then advised that Washington had not consulted with the UK and Canada on this nor did it plan to do so unless approached on it. The cable ended by asking the embassy for its views on the foregoing and an assessment of the likely Government of Guyana reaction to the absence of a Washington-level congratulatory message.
The stage was then set for the Ambassador’s visit to Burnham after the elections.
A July 25, 1973 cable from then US Ambassador Spencer Matthews King to the US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger described the meeting. King said that in making a courtesy call on Burnham before departing on leave he felt he could hardly ignore the previous week’s elections.
“…I expressed my gratification that he and his govt would be continuing in office and said I looked forward to (maintaining) same cordial working relations which had marked my three and a half years here”, the cable said.
King reported that Burnham was friendly and relaxed “but I suspect he thought I had come to deliver some formal message of congratulations”. King added that while Washington seemed to have avoided a crisis in relations, he was “sure Burnham (and others) will note and remember our omission”. King noted that then Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau had sent a congratulatory message tied to the forthcoming Ottawa meeting of Commonwealth Heads. “He (Trudeau) could do no less in circumstances, of course”, King added.
