BOLIVIA: "SPYING" CHARGES FEED EVO'S PROPAGANDA

C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 000303

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/15/2018
TAGS: ASEC PGOV PREL PINR OFDP KLIG VE BO
SUBJECT: BOLIVIA: "SPYING" CHARGES FEED EVO'S PROPAGANDA

REF: LA PAZ 218

Classified By: EcoPol Chief Mike Hammer for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary. Fulbright student Alex van Schaick reported
to the Bolivian Foreign Ministry February 7 that he had been
asked by Post's Assistant Regional Security Officer to report
contacts with Venezuelan and Cuban nationals to the Embassy.
Van Schaick told an ABC News.com stringer in La Paz the same
story, characterizing the alleged request as "spying" on
foreign nationals, an act he felt the "Bolivian people have a
right to know" about. Bolivian President Evo Morales used
the incident to assert a new U.S. "attack" on Bolivia,
following at least eight other allegations of U.S. conspiracy
against his government. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and
other Bolivian officials have piled on with accusations of
U.S. infringement on Bolivian sovereignty. Government
Minister Alfredo Rada has threatened an investigation and
formal espionage charges against the ARSO and anyone
connected to the briefing. ARSO alleges contact reporting
was not a part of the Fulbrighter's briefing and the four
other Fulbrighters in Bolivia have either confirmed it was
not part of their briefings or declined to speak to the
press. Despite continuous efforts of the Embassy to counter
false perceptions and settle the issue diplomatically, the
Bolivian government continued to rehash it daily via the
media.


2. (C) The Ambassador finally met February 13 with Foreign
Minister David Choquehuanca and Government Minister Rada to
address the incident (septel). Following the meeting,
Choquehuanca stated publicly that the Bolivian government
accepted the Ambassador's explanation of the incident and
Rada announced that Cooper would not be returning to Bolivia.
Despite this apparent closure to this case, post will
monitor closely whether the government shifts direction
toward Fulbrighters and Peace Corps volunteers, putting their
security at risk. But, government officials have so far
refrained from blaming anyone outside Embassy walls. End
Summary.

Schaick's Story
--------------


3. (U) A February 8 ABC News.com report cited Fulbright
student Alex van Schaick allegations the U.S. Embassy asked
him to report back to the Embassy on Venezuelan and Cuban
citizens residing in Bolivia. Van Schaick told ABC News.com
Bolivian stringer Jean Friedman-Rudovksy that he was shocked
when ARSO Vincent Cooper asked him to "basically spy" on
Venezuelans and Cubans while conducting research in Bolivia
during a routine November 5 security briefing at the Embassy.
"He asked me that if I should encounter Venezuelans or
Cubans while in the field ... that I should report to the
embassy."

Fulbright Scholar Basks in Media Spotlight
--------------


4. (SBU) Responding to questions of whether he should have
approached the Embassy with his concerns instead of waiting
three months and reporting the incident to Foreign Minister
David Choquehuanca February 7, Van Schaick told ABC News.com
he initially didn't "respond because I was in shock," and
that he "didn't want to voice my concern with that statement
to him (Cooper)." He added he didn't see the point reporting
the incident to the Embassy because Peace Corps official
Doreen Salazar had complained about a similar briefing
allegedly including instructions to help the embassy "keep
tabs" on Cubans to Peace Corps volunteers July 29 without
result (the article cites an e-mail Salazar allegedly sent to
the Embassy). "Why would it be any different this time?"


5. (C) Van Schaick, who has been studying indigenous land
issues in the Eastern state of Santa Cruz since October, has
initiated contact with the press and given several follow-on
interviews to U.S. and Bolivian press. He claimed feeling
compelled to bring the incident to light because "the
Bolivian people have a right to know." In contrast to Van
Schaick's version of events, three of the other four
Fulbrighters in country denied contact reporting was part of
their security briefing in a follow-on ABC News.com story,
with the other Fulbrighter refusing to talk to the press.
Interestingly, the Foreign Minister told the Ambassador that
it was at the behest of the ABC News.com stringer that he met
with Van Schaick.

Evo Declares Cooper Persona-non-desirable; Chavez Piles On
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6. (C) Bolivian President Evo Morales declared Cooper a
"non-desirable person" February 11, during a speech to
military officers. "This man has not only violated the
rights of (those he instructed),but has also violated,
offended, and attacked our nation." Morales added Cooper was
"not wanted here." Morales repeated van Schaick's allegation
that he was asked to "spy," characterized the incident as
proof of U.S. "espionage attempts," and used it to underline
the military's responsibility to protect Bolivia from enemies
"from within and without." Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
actually preempted Morales by a day, declaring February 10
that "the U.S. had to admit to espionage." Foreign Minister
Choquehuanca chimed in over the weekend, saying any
intelligence use of students or volunteers would constitute a
"grave threat to Bolivian's sovereignty."

Government Accepts U.S. Explanation; Cooper Will Not Return
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7. (U) Following the Ambassador's three-plus-hour meeting
with Foreign Minister Choquehuanca and Government Minister
Rada February 13, the FM declared to the press that the
government "accepts the Ambassador's explanations. We want
to overcome this problem." Government Minister Rada then
announced Cooper would not be returning to Bolivia. The
Ambassador echoed the FM's sentiment that we want to overcome
this incident, expressed appreciation for the government's
accepting our explanation, and said the U.S. wants to improve
relations. Ambassador Goldberg had publicly assured
Bolivians February 12 that he "absolutely respects the
sovereignty and dignity of Bolivia." The Ambassador added
"at no time did U.S. Embassy personnel ask any Peace Corps
volunteers or Fulbright scholars to engage in intelligence
activities," even if incorrect or inappropriate information
was given in a routine security briefing.

The Truth, and Other Things Left Unsaid
--------------


8. (U) Embassy La Paz issued a statement the same day the ABC
News.com story broke explaining the Embassy did not ask Peace
Corps or Fulbrighters to engage in intelligence activities.
Post Information Officer Eric Watnik attempted to further
clarify the incident February 11, stating that ARSO Cooper
mistakenly started to give Peace Corps volunteers the
security briefing intended for Embassy employees in July.
This briefing requires Embassy employees to report suspicious
activities, but does not apply to Peace Corps volunteers. In
the July case, Watnik added, the security officer was
immediately corrected by Peace Corps Deputy Director Doreen
Salazar during the briefing and steps were taken to correct
the briefing. Watnik said there was no way to confirm the
content of van Schaick's one-on-one November interview with
ARSO Cooper. "We are disappointed that the Fulbright scholar
involved did not voice his concerns to other Embassy officers
or to a member of the Fulbright Commission."


9. (C) Although ABC News.com reports Salazar confirmed
contact reporting was mentioned during the July briefing, it
also quotes her as saying the Embassy agreed with her
complaint and agreed to take action to correct the briefing.
Recent media reports have noted Salazar is not commenting
further. Salazar first spoke to the press without post's
authorization. Salazar admits she sent an e-mail concerning
the July briefing to the Embassy, but contends she did not
forward the e-mail to Van Schaick and does not know how he
became aware of it. It is unknown how Van Schaick became
aware of the Peace Corps incident and subsequent e-mail.

Rada's Posse Convokes and Charges
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10. (C) Minister of Government Alfredo Rada said February 10
he did not believe the U.S. explanation of the incident.
"It's not as simple as saying this was a mistake." Rada
demanded explanations and said he would ask Ambassador
Goldberg to explain the situation. On February 12 Rada's
ministry denounced Cooper's acts as crimes in violation of
Bolivian penal code article 115 (revelations of state
secrets) and 111 (espionage) and announced charges would be

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forthcoming. Although Vice Minister of Interior and Police
Ruben Gamarra conceded Cooper is "the only person that we
have identified," he said an investigation would attempt to
identify "members of the same Embassy" who authored,
accompliced, or covered up the alleged crimes. On February
13 Rada identified Cooper as an subordinate to Embassy
Military Group Commander James Campbell, who he misidentified
as the Embassy's "chief of security." Rada described a
"chain" of offensives against Bolivian sovereignty.
(Comment: Rada was apparently trying to link the current
"scandal" with a previous charge of U.S. interference
involving Campbell. This is not the first time Rada has
identified Campbell as security chief. End Comment).

Comment
--------------


11. (C) There have been at least eight previous charges of
U.S. espionage or conspiracy against the Bolivian government
in the last year (a fact local daily La Prensa reported,
noting there has been no evidence to back past allegations).
These latest charges follow the now familiar format of
publicly accusing the Embassy of subversion, demanding an
explanation from the Ambassador, and forming an investigation
to get to the truth. The reality is that the Bolivian
government is interested in exploiting these situations and
uses them to distract Bolivians from the problems facing them
and portray the United States as the culprit. (Note: During
the last round of charges over U.S. spying in late January,
the Vice President point blank told the Ambassador neither he
nor Morales believed those accusations, but would not state
that publicly - reftel. End Note.) Not easily taken off
script, government officials have demanded explanations from
the Embassy and threatened to convoke the Ambassador on a
daily basis since the charges surfaced, despite the fact that
the Embassy released a statement the same day the allegations
emerged and that the Ambassador immediately called the FM to
discuss the issue, a call that was not returned. Also per
the script, the latest round of statements were done via the
press. Only when the Ambassador requested the meeting with
the Foreign Minister, was he "convoked."


12. (C) Comment Continued. The Bolivian government has so far
refrained from spreading their paranoia beyond its
accusations against the Embassy, though Choquehuanca's
statements came dangerously close. We will endeavor to
minimize the damage done by this incident, but the task
becomes ever more difficult when the Fulbrighter and others,
including the media, are willingly fueling the Morales
administration's accusations of espionage. What makes this
round different is these charges are partially based on a
real event (that should not have occurred),not made up from
whole cloth, and that they are being made by an American
citizen. Also, a respectable U.S. media outlet -- ABC
News.com -- has used a story pushed by a stringer that has a
political agenda as much as a new story behind it. End
Comment.
GOLDBERG