Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09LAPAZ305
2009-02-26 23:21:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy La Paz
Cable title:  

EVO NAMES EMBOFF AS CIA; TARGETS "TRAITORS"

Tags:  ASEC PGOV PREL PTER PINR PROP EMIN EPET EINV 
pdf how-to read a cable
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RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 0186
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RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0234
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
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RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 000305 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/27/2019
TAGS: ASEC PGOV PREL PTER PINR PROP EMIN EPET EINV
MASS, ODIP, SNAR, KJUS, KREC, KTIA, BL
SUBJECT: EVO NAMES EMBOFF AS CIA; TARGETS "TRAITORS"

REF: A. LA PAZ 294

B. LA PAZ 247

Classified By: A/EcoPol Chief Brian Quigley for reasons 1.4
(b)(d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 000305

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/27/2019
TAGS: ASEC PGOV PREL PTER PINR PROP EMIN EPET EINV
MASS, ODIP, SNAR, KJUS, KREC, KTIA, BL
SUBJECT: EVO NAMES EMBOFF AS CIA; TARGETS "TRAITORS"

REF: A. LA PAZ 294

B. LA PAZ 247

Classified By: A/EcoPol Chief Brian Quigley for reasons 1.4
(b)(d)


1. (C) Summary/Comment: Bolivian President Evo Morales named
EmbOff Francisco "Frank" Martinez as a "Mexican infiltrator"
while sharing his vision of a vast CIA network that permeates
all sectors of Bolivian government and social groups February

26. Morales' message was clear: Martinez is a CIA agent and
the CIA is up to no good in Bolivia. However, per the Hugo
Chavez playbook, Morales made few direct, concrete
accusations (that he might be asked to prove). Instead
Morales provided a litany of non sequiturs as answers to
rhetorical questions: "Who is Frank Martinez?" "What is the
CIA?" "What are the goals of the CIA?" Morales emphasized the
corruption in his government is the fault of "neoliberalism"
and neoliberalism's chief proponent in the world: the CIA.


2. (C) Morales also called any uniformed Bolivian or civil
servant "who sells information" to foreigners "traitors," and
promised to bring them to justice. Morales' characterization
of U.S.-sponsored training as nefarious USG subterfuge track
with recent training bans from the police and military
(reftel a) and makes it more difficult Embassy-wide to
recruit candidates for any of our exchange or training
programs. End Summary/Comment.


3. (C) Relevant portions of Morales address to graduating
police academy cadets February 25 follows. Please note Post
has inserted revisions to clarify Morales' intent sparingly,

so there are some sections that will seem incoherent or
incomplete.

Neoliberalism/CIA Root of Bolivian Corruption/All Evil
-------------- --------------


4. (U) "I told you at some moment that corruption is the
worst enemy of the Bolivian people, jointly with
neoliberalist policies. I feel we have contributed in
combating corruption in the national government, but also to
put an end to neoliberalism. The hallmark of neoliberalism
(in Bolivia) was to permanently take out our natural
resources. The privatization of basic services (was also
turned back) little by little thanks to the conscious of the
Bolivian people to stop these neoliberal policies ... The
corruption is felt like a right of the colonial state for
which we must start to decolonize ourselves. Corruption
feels sometimes like part of a culture of misery, I
understand perfectly, therefore, that one has to stop
poverty, the extreme poverty. The leaders of state
institutions are obliged to combat the subject of corruption.
But, also, recently, thanks to some patriotic police, under
an investigation we have detected the infiltration of the
North American CIA in the structure of the state."

"What is the CIA?"
--------------

"What is the CIA? It is a secret intelligence agency of the
United States. And, what does the CIA aim to do? To defend
and protect the capitalist system, not only in the United
States, but throughout the world. And, in order to protect
the capitalist system, what does (the CIA) have to do?
Investigation in the entire world, buying information first
hand about governments, about institutions, about social
organizations and above all having the information in order
to undertake undercover operations against institutions,
against governments that are not part of the capitalist
system, (which is) so savage, so inhuman. This is a system
that brings poverty, takes our natural resources, and leads
to financial crisis. A product of capitalism, the financial
crisis, the crisis of food, energy, that sometimes we, the
poor, have to pay (for) this type of policies. As they have
to protect capitalism from all its enemies ... the CIA has
the task of (figuring out) how to terminate the enemies of
capitalism."

Evo "Respecting the Truth:" U.S. Training Equals Conspiracy
-------------- --------------

"And, truthfully, I was surprised after a small investigation
concerning an ex-police officer (reftel a) ... (who) with the
money of the Bolivian people was trained to defend, to serve
the Bolivian people. This ex-Captain, Abraham Rodrigo
Carrasco, according to the investigation, after graduating
from (the police academy),after becoming part of the
national police in 1990, ... after less than six months
(serving as a policeman),from 1990 to 2004. ... (He) took
courses, took training seminars (Comment: Within this
rambling, Morales appears to be alleging Carrasco's USG
course work was CIA training to spy on Bolivia. End
Comment). Of course, all officials, whether they are police
or military, have the right to (receive) training
domestically or abroad, (but) I can be certain that no
general has taken 21 training courses: two in Bolivia,
financed by the U.S. Embassy, one in Panama, another in
England, another in Argentina, and the rest (16 by Morales'
math) in the United States. What officer in the police can
have similar privileges (to have) 21 training courses in
subjects of security, of intelligence, of politics, economics
in the United States? Additionally, after submitting himself
to a polygraph test to serve the CIA, how can anyone refute
that this Captain, ex-Caption of the national police is not
from the CIA, that he did not infiltrate state structures for
the CIA only lacks a respect for the truth in our country."

Dreaming of Infiltrators and Public Service
--------------

"If some official of the U.S. Embassy says there is no
infiltration, then tell me publicly who is Franciso Martinez?
A Mexican that comes and goes to and from Bolivia. Tell me
with whom he is in contact. We are not sleeping." (I want)
to tell the representatives of the U.S. Embassy that we know
exactly what you want. Clearly we are a government that
serves the people, we are working for all the Bolivian
people, but especially for the people that need us, that need
the state institutions. Lamentably, this class of officials
or ex-officials sometimes is to blame for maligning the
dignity of the national police."

Open Season on "Traitors"
--------------

"But also an experience. I want to salute the commanders and
ex-commanders of the special force for fight against
narco-trafficking (FELCN) (because) without the participation
of the DEA we are improving the fight against
narco-trafficking in Bolivia, thanks to these special police
in the fight against narco-trafficking and their commanders.
... if any member of the police or the military or civilian
agent that sells information to secret intelligence agencies,
whether they be from the United States, like the CIA or of
the DEA or other international agencies from my personal
perspective, please excuse me, he is a traitor to his
motherland. Information that the Bolivian people have,
internal problems, whether they be of a political, social,
economic character, no Bolivian uniformed or non-uniformed
(civilian) can sell this information to international
agencies."

Traitors Can Run, And They Can Hide (in U.S.)
--------------

"With much respect to our commanders of the national police,
control of internal affairs is important. .... (I want) to
salute some civilian brothers, some journalists, some
Bolivians that understand how international agencies
infiltrate to conspire, provoke, attack. And let us not
forget how in Guatemala, in Chile, in some other countries,
those international secret agencies perpetrated coups,
attacks, and after those attacks they escape to the United
States to protect themselves."

Motherland First; Courses to Damage Bolivian Dignity Last
-------------- --------------

"We hope that Bolivian justice will prosecute the traitors of
the motherland that infiltrate the governmental structures
exclusively to create problems, internal conflicts. Of
course, they studied to do that. They took courses to do
that. And this is why I want to take advantage of this
anniversary of this institution, (to tell) the new
generations of national police, the new police cadets, (and)
the armed forces (that they should have) much patriotism to
defend the motherland. Their are authorities, organizations,
institutions, social movements (that should know) that the
motherland is first and it is not possible that some people,
on behalf of an institution ... try to damage the dignity of
an institution and that of the Bolivian people."

End Morales Remarks.
URS