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