COSTA RICA CIA DIPLOMACY IN ACTION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-01601R000500020001-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 28
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 14, 2000
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: June 1, 1972
• Content Type: NSPR

I H I IN I L
Approved For Release 20R110/246N9LAARFN-016
JUNE 1972
COSTA RICA legalise US control over the Caribbean area and
Central America. Its sponsors make no secret
CIA Diplomacy in Action that it could be used for preparing aggression
against Cuba by its members, and to put pres-
sure on Panama, which has been seeking to
The US Ambassador to Costa Rica, Walter pursue an independent foreign policy and wants
Ploeser, suddenly put in his resignation last a review of its canal treaty with the United
March. A rich businessman from Missouri, he States.
held the post of Ambassador in that country Costa Rica opposes bloc policy in Central
for almost two years. It cannot be said that his America. Its President has stressed that he
activity ran a smooth course. In December 1970 favours peaceful coexistence of countries with
he was publicly accused of being involved, differing political and economic systems.
together with E. Williamson, CIA chief in Costa He urged the elimination of the cold war policy
Rica, in plotting against the Jose Figueres which, he said, was doing harm to the small
Government. Williamson was made the countries. Costa Rica has taken a number of
scapegoat and had to leave the country while measures to normalise political relations with
Ploeser managed to extricate himself and the Soviet Union, and this has resulted in an
continued in his post. extension of economic relations between the two
However, very soon another plot of the CIA countries. The country's public has met with
and its agents against Costa Rica came to the great satisfaction the establishment of normal
surface and, according to some reports, the US diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, and
Ambassador was once again involved. He had has stressed that Costa Rica is the first to
to request permission to return to private life benefit from them.
and commercial activity. The Central American reactionaries and the
In its fight against progressive tendencies US imperialists have also been incensed over
in the policy of some Latin American countries, Costa Rica's domestic policy. The country's
US imperialism relies on local reactionaries, democratic forces demand radical economic
President Figueres of Costa Rica told, a press measures to ensure the national interests and
conference that subversive elements from the to ease the hard material condition of the work-
Free Costa Rica outfit and high-ranking lug people. Patriotic circles in Costa Rica are
Guatemalan officials connected with the anti- working for the establishment and extension of
communist terroristic Mano Blanca organisation ties with all countries, including the Soviet
were weaving a web of conspiracy against the Union and other socialist countries.
Costa Rican government. In one speech the In the last few months, the government of
President said that reactionaries connected with Costa Rica has taken some important economic
Mario Sandoval Alarcon, Chairman of the Na- steps. It has put before the country's legislative
tional Congress of Guatemala, Colonel Raul assembly bills to lay taxes on the profits of the
Guevara, chief of the army intelligence service, big and middle bourgeoisie. Simultaneously,
and Colonel Carlos Lemosa, Director of the consideration is being given to a lifting of taxes
Immigration Seivice, were planning an invasion on the incomes of tens of thousands of small
of Costa Rica. Their plan provided for the producers. Early this year, the President signed
landing of units at various points of the Pacific a Decree nationalising a British railway
coast.
A statement issued by the People's Vanguard company which had been operating in the
country for 82 years.
of Costa Rica Party said: "The purpose is to
Amer-
set up a military-type government in Costa Rica The orientation of this small Central Amer-
capable of taking the country 'into a Central ican republic upon an independent domestic
American political alliance which has long been and foreign policy was seen in the United States
in the hatChing. Because the Costa Rican as a challenge to its political and economic
government respects the feelings and mood of interests, and as a potentially dangerous
development for the existence of US-controlled
the people, and refuses to support this move, military-oligarchic dictatorships in other
the military have decided to overthrow it. Central American countries. That is why the
The statement stresses that, as thc. ministers reactionary forces at home and abroad were
of foreign affairs and state security declared, mobilised against Costa Rica. The CIA assumed
the plot is being directed by "military circles direction of these forces.
of Central American countries with the backing There was an outburst of indignation in
of the CIA". Latin America over the aggressive designs of
The plan to set up a Central American al- the reactionaries and the plans of invading
liance is another political combination planned Costa Rica. Public opinion on the continent
by Washington and the reactionary militarists has justly seen them as a blow aimed against
of Central America. This plan has long been the whole liberation, patriotic movement of the
advocated by the military leaders of Guatemala Latin American peoples.
and Salvador, supported by Honduras and v. LUPINOVICH
Nicaragua. Its purpose is to set up an aggres-
sive military bloc which would in practice
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Approved For.Release2AGW103
Rocking the Boat
Costa Rica's Figueres
_Woos Russia, Causing.
.U.S., Latin Concern
Don Pepe Says He Let 'Soviet
Open Embassy to Promote
Trade 'and Ease 'Cold War'
Can a Fox Outsmart a Bear?
? By JAMES C. TANNER
Staff Reporter of TIIE WALL STREET JOURNAL
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica?This small republic
has been something of an American dream?at
least from the U.S. State Department's point of
view.
It is a true democracy and a nation of peace
that spends its money on schools, not soldiers.
The government of this tropical paradise has
sided with the U.S. on practically every major
Issue. Its twice-elected president is a U.S.-edu-
cated popular hero who led a revolution that
ousted Communists from the country years
ago-
? Nowadays, however, while this American
dream hasn't exactly turned into a nightmare,
It is at least causing
some restless nights
for U.S. diplomats. The
reason for both the
dream and the restless-
ness is one and the
same: President Jose
Figueres, 65, who is the
most influential friend
the U.S. has in Latin
America?or at least
he used to be.
Currently, Don
Pepe, as he is called,
sees himself in a new
role-Las a Latin de
Gaulle, the leader of a
third world force. Mid-
way in his four-year
term, he has set out to (1) settle, single-hand-
edly if necessary, what he considers the cold
war between the U.S. and Russia and (2) solve
the pressing social and economic problems of
Costa Rica and perhaps all Latin America.
Such goals can hardly be criticized. But to ex-
pedite them, he has permitted the Russians to
open an embassy here in San Jose?their first
In Central America.
This move has brought concern on two
counts. First, the U.S. is worried about this So-
: CIA-RDP80-016
Would seem to be a tempest in a teapot?or,
rather, a coffee pot, since coffee is a part of
the
controversy.
"I'm fed up with the lold war, which has
deprived us of half the world's market," ex-
plains Don Pepe (pronounced "peppy"). "I
hope I can give a minor contribution to world
peace by showing that, in Central America at
least, the Russians have no tails." *
But a lot of people, including some Ameri-
cans, believe that Don Pepe isn't dealing with
a tail-less Russian bear; instead, they fear, he
has a tiger by the tail and may end up endan-
gering not only Central America but also the
U.S. ? ?
Of Coffee & Chicken
Some Russians have already arrived in this
West Virginia-size nation, which lies between
Nicaragua and Panama. They have taken up
residence on the main street of San Jose, just
a ...oss Central Avenue from the local Kentucky
Fried Chicken outlet. But the Russians are
here not because of chicken but because of cof-
fee, Don Pepe Says.
Coffee growers in Costa Rica have piled up
75 million pounds more than they can sell
under international marketing quotas. While
the Russians don't drink much coffee, they
have nonetheless promised to siphon off the
surplus. But President Figueres says they
drive a hard bargain, refusing to trade with
any nation that doesn't give them diplomatic
recognition. Thus, he continues, he permitted
the Russians their first diplomatic foothald in
Central America?and, cynics suggest, their
first subversive one.
A Soviet subversive foothold? Nonsense,
says Don Pepe as he sips some of that surplus
coffee in his white house on Jose Figueres Ave-
nue in the village of Curridabad. There isn't
much to spy on in Costa Rica, he declares. And
he adds: "I see no possibility of espionage un-
less the Russians buy postcards of the Panama
Canal?we are near the canal and the cards
sell for 10 cents?and mail them to Moscow."
More seriously he says, "I've made it very
plain to the Russians that they are dealing with
a loyal U.S. ally and that there will be no mon-
key business against the U.S."
A Question of Quotas
As one precaution, Don Pepe says he set a
limit on the number of Soviet diplomats to be
allowed in Costa Rica; he tells a reporter the
quota is 10. Gonzalo Facio, minister of for-
eign relations, says it is eight. But some politi-
cal opponents of Don Pepe say they already
have counted 40 Russians living in the rented
mansion on Central Avenue.
Whatever the precise number, many Costa
Ricans figure they have a surplus of both cof-
fee and Russians. "This is too nice a country to
be fouled up," a San Jose banker snaps. Feel-
ings are also being aroused in neighboring Nic-
aragua, in El Salvador, in Guatemala and?it
is said -in the U.S. Central Intelligence,
Agency. V
viet presence in the Caribbean area. And it , Costa Rica has a sprinkling of Marxists, but
frets about the internal dissension that the So- I many of its people appear to be politically to
viet controversy has brought to a once-peaceful I the right of the John Birch Society. Most of the
Costa Rica; some observers fear that this I country's 1.8 million residents-are highly liter-
could lead to a revolution, ate and are of white European stock?Spanish,
With President Nixon scheduled to go to Dutch and German. Largely landowners, they
Moscow next month and with both U.S. and !produce bananas and beef as well as coffee.
Latin businessmen being urged to step up trade ! And many of these are clearly upset at Don
with their Communist counterpart-1A- a contra- !Pepe's advances toward the Russians. Mem-
Versy over one Soviet embassy more or? less!
1 bers of the Women's Civic League march in
Approved For ReledtektMot ir. brilifilsWiliti-
1.1 4
'racy. Movimiento Costa Rica Libre (the Fre
? Costa Rica Movement) runs full-page ads i
newspapers charging that newly arrived Sovi(
Ambassador Vladimir Xazimirov was "an a:
tassin in Hungary." "No one seems to b
'checking on (the Russians)," says Bernal Ui
bina Pinto, secretary-general of the movemen
or MCRL. "But we intend to know every mov
they make," he vows.
The Figueres administration, in turn, at
cuses the MCRL of trying to initiate a revolt
tion, or golpe. And ever since the spearhead c
the Soviet diplomatic delegation arrived las
December, there has been a lot of talk of golp
going around. Recently Bon Pepe called
news conference to announce that he had re
ceived fresh assurance from the rightwim
government of Guatemala that it wasn't plan
ning to underwrite a Costa Rican revolution, a
had been rumored. Even the U.S. has beei
mentioned as a power behind clandestine plan
fling to overthrow President Figueres?a breal
in the tradition of good U.S.-Costa Rican rela
tions.
In Washington; however, State Departmen
officials still publicly label Don Pepe as th,
best friend the U.S. has in Latin America. "W(
are traditionally very high on Figueres," ont
says. And U.S. diplomats here just as stoutlj
Insist that Russians in Costa Rica pose no mort
of a threat to the U.S. than a competitive tract(
challenge. One U.S. embassy spokesman say:
cautiously: "Our position is that we don't pub
liely or privately intervene in a dornesti(
Issue."
But the domestic controversy goes on. Dor
Pepe's left-of-center National Liberation Parts
officially supports all his moves. Nonetheless
many within the party?called PLN?hav(
been frightened by his deals with Russia. Th(
president has handled this internal oppositior
much as he handled the Catholic Church, w?:iic
vociferously opposed the Soviet embassj
"Stick to saving souls," Don Pepe told th
Catholic archbishop.
But whether the people will stick with th
PLN in the 1974 elections is another question
Don Pepe is forbidden by law to succeed him
self, and the Soviet issue certainly hasn'
helped the party. In 1970 he won with the vat
of the small farmers and farm workers, am
even some of the country's many rightists sup
ported him. "Figueres has always been a lib
oral," one of these explains, "but he was will
ing to compromise."
Now, besides the Soviet-embassy issue, a la
of conservatives are also worried by the recerc
successes of Communist unions in organizing
banana workers on both coasts of Costa Rica
(The Communists are officially bahined from
political activity in the country but nonetheless
operate through "front" parties and unions.)
The unions that organized the banana svoskers
had the support?at least implied?of Don Pepe
and his labor minister, who is also his son-in-
law.
Not everyone, however, thinks that Don
Pepe is being taken in by the Communists. One
U.S. businessman here, a friend of the presi-
dent, portrays Mr. Figueres as a sly old fox
whose strategy is to make the U.S. perk up and
pay attention. "Don Pepe," he explains, "is
just plain peeved because you can't get atten-
tion from the U.S. unless you become a thorn
in its side." Some supporters say the president
is toying with both Russia and the U.S. Other
Costa Ricans, however, fear that he isn't play-
ing any such game; they are convinced that he
01 R00050002000ilagea
Approved For Release 2001/03/04: CIA-RDP80-01g4IA-600020001-7
ugmon HERALD
9 MARCH 1972
U.S. Envoy'
Resigns in
Costa Rica
Move Unexpected,
Linked to Furor
SP*Cial 10 The Herald
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica
U.S. Ambassador Walter C.
Ploeser has submitted his
resignation to Washington.
Ploeser, 65, said "personal
reasons" forced'him to "make
such a "regrettable decision"
at this time.
Ploeser's announcement
came little more than a year
after the St. Louis insurance
executive was embroiled in a
major controversy with the
government of President Jose
Figueres.
THE CONTROVERSY in-
volved reports that the U.S.
Embassy's reputed CIA sta-
tion chief, Earl Williamson,
had become "involved in
Costa Rica's internal af-
fairs." These reports came
amidst rumors that an at-
tempt to overthrow the Fi-
gueres government would
soon take place.
Williamson, who reported-
ly had made "indiscreet" re-
marks about the alleged coup
attempt, was quickly relieved
from his post and reassigned.
Rumors in San Jose sug-
gest that Ploeser's unexpect-
ed decision to resign may be
linked to that incident.
RUMORS IN Washington,
however, have it that the am-
bassador resigned to join
President Nixon's forces in
the political campaign. Ploes-
er "denies this.
? A 1970 Nixon appointee,
Ploeser has participated in
Republican campaigns in the
past and has been a steadfast
Nixon supporter. r
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Mar
A Short His ory
of CIA Intervention
Sixteen
Foreign Countries
In July, 1947, Congress passed one of the most significant
pieces of legislation in the history of America in peacetime. The
National Security Act of 1947 created The National Security
alma!, the Department of Defenc,_tbe Joint Chiefs of Staff, the
United States Air Force and, not least of all, the CIA. This act
provided the Agency with five principal duties:
I. To advise the National Security Council on matters concern-
ing intelligence.
2; To make recommendations for the coordination of such intel-
ligence matters.
3. To correlate and evaluate intelligence relating to national
security and disseminate it to other government departments.
4: To perform "such additional services of common concern as
the National Security Council determines can be more efficiently
accomplished centrally."
5. To perform "such other Junctions and duties as the NSC
would direct."
In 1949 Congress passed the Central Intelligence Agency Act,
allowing the agency lodisregard laws that required disclosure
of information concerning the organization, to expend funds
? without regard to laws and regulations governing expenditures
with .no other accounting than the Director's vouchers, and to
make contracts and purchases without advertising.
With such unprecedented au-
thority, with unlimited access to
money,.-with liberty to act with-
out regard to scrutiny or review
by either civilian or governmental
organizations, the CIA 'has become a self-
contained state. One observer ranks the CIA as
the fourth world power, after the U.S., Russia, and
China.
Partly because of the CIA's special "secret"
status and partly because of the laziness of the press,
the total history of CIA intervention in foreign coun-
tries has never been reported. What you read instead
are fragments?an attempted bribe in Mexico last
July, an assassination in Africa last November.
What emerges here is an atlas of intrigue but
not a grand design; on the contrary, the CIA's
record is as erratic and contradictory as that of
any bureaucracy in the Federal stable. But you
-do begin to comprehend the enormous size of the
CIA and its ruthless behavior. The rules permit
murder, defollatioiz and drug addiction for
Political ends. Look at the record:
t
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.NI night in January last year the
. Costa Rican fishing boat Nayuribe
? elkineed upon a ship the fishermen were
unable to identity unloading a suspicious
cargo of crates at an out-of-the-way
spot on the Costa Rican coast under
cover 01 darkness.
The nest day the Costa Rican press
shed some light on the nocturnal
mystery. The ships Atlantic Guayaquil
,
and. Waltham operated by CIA gunrun-
ners had been caught smuggling into
country a large guanlity of weapons
:signed to the pro-fascist Free Costa
Rica organization known to be plotting
the forcible overtlirc.w., of the Jose
Figueres government.
An investigation carried out at the
time by the Costa Rican authorities
revealed that the threads of the con-
spiracy led to the U.S. Embassy in San
Jose. The contact man between the CIA
and the Free Costa Rica organization,
La Nacion wrote, was none other than
Edward Williams, U.S. resident agent in
San Jose. who was officially listed as
the First Secretary at the U.S. Embassy.
It also transpired. according to
La Nacion, that Williams WaS the chief
organizer of the anti-Soviet campaign
unleashed at that time by the Costa
Rican reactionary press to prevent the
normalization of diplomatic relations
between Costa Rica and the Soviet
/ Union. Williams and a fellow-agent,
Lawrence Harrison, who operated under
the cover of the local branch of the
Agency for International Development,
bad to leave Costa Rica in great haste.
A little over a year has passed since
then. Speaking at a press conference on
February 25, the Costa Rican Minister
of Foreign Affairs Gonzalo Facio said
the government had irrefutable proof
that "preparations were under way for
an invasion of Costa Rica by mercenary
armies . of the Central American
countries" aimed at overthrowing
President Jose Figueres and setting up
a military dictatorship. A special role irk
.the operation, scheduled for March, was
assigned to the Free Costa Rica orga-
nization, yhose fascist-type thugs are
preparing for terrorist acts against
members of the Costa Rican government
and the country's progressives.
Why are the U.S. special services and
their local agents plotting against the
ankstitutionally elected government of
Figueres? Why the heightened interest
of the cloak-and-dagger men in small
and peaceful Costa Rica?
The wind of change sweeping Latin
America is increasingly making itself
felt in Central America. which
Plot
CURRENT SCENE
Against Costa Rica
V. CHIMEIR
ernment is strongly opposed to any
particularly reliable sphere of influence.
Washington has long regarded as a
T such supra-national army, which could
The U.S. is seriously worried by the
be used at U.S. bidding to interfere in
prospect of losing control over this area.
the internal affairs of Central American
situated so close to its borders, and-up
t countries. The Costa Rican people justly
o now. a veritable private preserve of
regard the project as a threat to their
the American monopolies and the
reactionary regimes subservient to them. country's sovereignty.
It is particularly alarmed by the These are troubled days for San Jose.
The local La
developments in Costa Rica, which, for Flora, quoting official sourc-
a number of historical reasons, has es, reports that the governments of two
Central American countries have
always been more democratic than its
neighbours. already armed and equipped mercena-
ries in addition to allowing some of their
Costa Rica
own officers and men. to join in the
planned invasion of Costa Rica. In view
of this the Figueres government has
called on volunteers to start military
Figueres, following his election in 197I
to the presidency for a third term, training in order to repel a possible
announced the intention of his govern- foreign intervention. The -.Costa Rican
ment to implement a programme of people are fully determined to
sweeping socio-economic reforms and their soriArr'Nerreignty
: entry of the economic domina-
1. 1,.)reivi monopolies. In the sphere
-.;-icn policy. Figiteres declared tor
normal relations with all
es. including the socialist. Late
in 1970 the Costa Rican government
r-stnred diplomatic relations with the
17,ti.s.12. Democratic opinion in Costa
Rica and progressives in Latin America
generally welcomed these steps.
Not so the U.S. imperialists, who saw
In these actions, taken by a sovereign
state in the national interest. a
"dangerous" example to other Central
American countries. And so the CIA set
to work to topple' the Figueres govern-
ment.
Washington
pressure to bear
devious means, using the reactionary
brass hats of some Central American
countries whom the Pentagon has under
its thumb through the agency of the
Central American Defence Council.
Some time ago Costa Rica, which has
no army of her own, withdrew from that
organization, arousing the displeasure of
the United States. The ministers for state
security, foreign affairs and economics
of the Central American countries are
to meet in Guatemala early next month,
according to the Costa Rican weekly
Libertad, and Washington is counting on
putting through a decision to create
"joint armed forces" of the Central
American countries. The Figueres gov-
has long had a strong
patriotic movement, which has influenc-
ed government policy in many respects.
It was due to this influence that Jose
is now trying to bring
on Costa Rica by
defend
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Approved For Re
11111'
5-1!
1
V 1 in 1 II'I 1 L
When Britain pulled out of Rhodesia after the 1965 Unila
the CIA worked td ferret out details of the sanction-busi
In the popular. traditions of spying, secret documents disa
were used to convey messages in invisible ink. It was a shock
one of the informers was a prominent lawyer. But it was not
, the CIA had expanded, nto an a're'a where the British were una
-active in Egypt, Iran and Syria. E. H. COOKRIDGE ends his (
and looks at the Director, Richard Helms
ANY of the bright young /
men Allen Dulles had v
recruited to CIA from
British sanction policy became, British Other CL
1.......-eLs..1`).--?,.--.
law offices and univer-
sities
---s
sities had gained their were Cal
consular offices and SIS men were
? spurs in London, where they were consular A
supposed to watch the steady flow of
to glean some of the methods of the Francis I,
Rhodesian pig-irm, tobacco, and other
British Secret Intelligence Service.who had
products through the Portuguese ports
' Dulles enjoyed making wisecracks cloak-anc
of Lorene() Marques and Beira in East
about the Victorian and Indian Army Africa to Europe and the Far East Cuba one
traditions still surviving in the British Wigant,
Merchants and shippers there had
secret service, but he had a healthy made fortunes out of the traffic which Congo dt
respect for its unrivalled experience and sevez
the Portuguese were bound, by United
and great professionalism. He knew the most
Nations resolutions and agreements
that CIA could learn a lot from the with Britain, to regard as illegal. Edward '
British about operations in the Middle Salisbury?.......____ _
After the closure of British missions
'East and Africa, where its stations in Salisbury all .information about 1957 from the State Department;
were rapidly expanding. from 1959 he headed the East and
Rhodesian exports dried up at source.
After Archibald Roosevelt, one of South African section and, at the time
At this juncture CIA stepped in to
CIA's foremost "Arabists", had re- of his new appointment, was Station
assist the British. It was not merely a
Stored cordial relations with SIS when labour of love. American tobacco Itead in Pretoria. Among his various
station head in London, a plan of co- exploits he was reputed to have
syndicates in Virginia, Georgia,
pperation was devised for Africa, where initiated the first contacts between th
North and South Carolina, Ten-
most of the former British colonies had South African government and D
nessee and Kentucky greatly in-
gained independence, and were be- Banda of Malawi.
creased their production and sales to STAT INTL
coming subject to strong Soviet and The CIA agent's were perpetually
Europe when Rhodesian tobacco
Chinese pressure. Roosevelt was still .journeying between Salisbury and the
growers lost most of their trade
in London when, in 1965, Rhodesia . , Mozambique ports, and Murray was
through sanctions. Traditionally,
made her momentous "Unilateral tt
i
d temporarily posted to Lusaka to main-
Rhodesian tobacco was used for cigar Declaration of Independence" (UDI), lain personal contact with British
an cigarette manufacture in Belgium,
which led to the conflict with the o
Holland, Germany and Switzerland. officials resident in Zambia. Mr Ian
British Government. Smith and his cabinet colleague, Mr
When these supplies dried up, Euro-
There is no better instance Of the J. H. Howman, who looks after foreign
pe,an manufacturers turned to Amen-
strengthening of CIA-SIS collabora- affairs as well as security and the
b
can growers. But by 4nd by Rhodesian
tion than the hitherto undisclosed secret service of the Rhodesian regime,
exports began to flow again, y the
story of the services CIA rendered were not unaware of the unwelcome
use of false certificates of origin and
the British authorities in Rhodesia, operations of the Americans. They
smuggling through the Portuguese
particularly since about 1968. suffered them for the sake of avoiding
rts and through Durban in South
Indeed, in assisting the British SIS P?-an open clash With Washington. Their
Africa, much- to the displeasure of the
in its thankless task of implementing
the policy of economic sanctions Americans. patience, however, became frayed
when it was discovered that secret
against the Smith regime, CIA put its Thus, obliging the British and help- documents had disappeared from the
relations with the Portuguese in ing American business, CIA ordered
'jeopardy. It has an enduring under- its agents to ferret out the secrets of the headquarters of the ruling Rhodesian
National Front_ Party. Subsequently,
standing with the Portuguese Govern- sanction-busting schemes devised by
Mr Ian Smith's regime. Soon the CIA
ment and its P1DE secret service on M
many aspects: NATO security, anti- station in Salisbury was bustling with
communist operations, the use of radio activity. Since 1962 it had been headed
stations in Portugal and her colonies, by Richard La Macchia, a senior CIA
and of bases for the U-2 spy planes
official, who had joined it in 1952 from
and Special Forces in Angola, Mozam-
U.S. Naval Intelligence and had come
bique and Macao. Approveid foto nAkicAila therspe an official of
ihMiii.Y.agge0 PAW4geGfA-RDP80-01601R0005000200010sPunuea
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Approved For Releasti200,1103/04 : CIA-
25 11P1111, 1911
?
Vtri'ic?
By WILLIAM MONTALDANO
period .Latiri America Correspondent
SAN JOSE. Costa . Rica ?
-President Jose Figueres says
he-irk willing to '.let bygones
be bygones" in a spat with
the United States over an. in-
discreet CIA station chief.
?
A private visit from Secre-
tary or State William P. no.
%cr.; last week apparently.
helped smooth the ruffled
f..7.-:thers or the velatilc Costa
.?1.,:-can leader.
'.. Niter-es said in an inter-
view that he interpr,-.ted the
IZogcrs visit during the.meet-
ing of the Organization of
American States here as the
U.S. way of apoloizing for
, the indiscretions of formr.r
tEnbassy. official Earl J. Wil-
liamson..
THE FIGT_IEr"S Adminis-
tration asked for the recall or
Williamson, nominally a first
secretary at the embassy,
after the CIA chief criticized
Figueres at private gather-
ings and was quoted as hav-
itig'prcdictcd his overthrow.
Williamson left Costa Rica in
February.' ??
, Figueres said he and Ro-
gers did not discuss U.S.-
Costa Rican. relatlons direct-
ly: but he noted that Rogers
was the -"only onc? of the 20
foreign 'ministers here who
visited me."
? "It was one or these visits
in which it doesn't matter
what you say. The fact of the
visit is what is important,"
Figueres said.
?
A spokesman for Rogers
said that the secretary's visit
was a courtesy call with no
deeperintent.
COSTA RICA, the most.
_democratic and peaceful of
all Latin American nations,
was shaken earlier this year
by rumors that an uprising
was being planned against
Figueres. nity.
-Approved For Release 2001/03NuFUNsftlbitegt11601R000500020001-7
IT
STATINTL
iv. 17'1
Some versions had the
United. States involved in the
plotting, which was said ..to
have been triggered by con-
servative opponents of Fi-
gueres' after he decided to
open diplomatic ties with the
Soviet Union.
The United States emphat-
ically. denied any involve-
ment after friends of Fi-
gueres- leaked the rumors to -
.The Miami Herald and; later
to other U.S. publications.
The bantani 64-year-old Pi-
-acres, one of the hemi-
sphere's leading democrats,.
may be the staunchest friend
the United States has in
.Latin America. '
It is still not clear whether
Figueres believed that an up-
rising was afoot or whether
he merely wanted people to
think he eblieved it.
IN ANY EVENT, the ru-
mors gave Figueres an oppor-
tunity to vent his displeasure
at the operation of the U.S.
Embassy here in general and
of Williamson's activities in
particular.
From the beginning, high-
raM:ing Costa Rican officials,
seeking the support of a sym-
pathetic American press, had
told visiting reporters mere
privately than they had been
willing to admit publicly.
Today, it is an open secret
here that the Costa Rican
government expects an early
replacement for political ap-
pointee Walter C. Ploeser as
U.S. ambassador. ?
' Publicly, Figueres says, "I
have no complaint with the
ambassador. My relations
with the ambassador are all
right." -
Privately, Costa Rican offi-
?cials close to Figueres -say
they expect Pleezer to be re-
:placed as soon as it can be
done with a modicum of dig-
(7)
,
1;fi 4--N-7f)
PLOESER, A conservative
St. Louis insurance executive
Who has been in Costa Rica
for a Year without learning
any Spanish, has made an
unfavorable impression here.
. Costa Ricans say Ploeser
has appeared aloof, formal
and politically out of touch
with a liberal society in
which the American ambas-
sador has traditionally been
more of a family friend than
a foreign envoy.
?
? Ploeser is held responsible
by some influential Costa Ri-
cans for the unexpected
transfer of Larry Harrison,
the highly popular and effec-
tive director of the embassy
aid program.
?Efarrison, who left Costa
Rica in January on a Sched-
uled trip to Washington and
did not return, is said to have'
beer. "fired" by Placser.
COSTA RicANs familiar
with Harrison's aid programs
say they were both dynamic
and pragmatic. Harrison is
said to have quarreled with
both Ploeser and Williamson
as part of an ideological dis-
pute within the embassy.. .
Pipet-es' decision to re-
open-ties with the Soviets is
? a major political issue in
Costa Rica, where a Cuban
exile colony adds fuel to tra-
ditional anti-Communist
fires.
Figueres himself is one of
.the hemisphere's most vocal
-anti-Communists. His deci-
sion to deal with the Soviets
was based on a Costa Rican
desire to sell 'surplus produc-
tion of coffee, its principal
export, at favorable prices.
As part of the deal, Costa
Rica was to have purchased
Soviet .machinery equal in
value to the coffee it export-
ed:
The deal :round to a:
standetill after the Soviet.
failure to comply with bid-.
ding requirements for the
machinery.
terview, however, he was de-
termined to press ahead to-
ward greater ties with the
Communist world.
"We have to find some-
thing to buy from them," he
said. "Perhaps they will sell
us bridges, which we need
badly. But they have much to
learn about competitive bid-
ding."
Figueres says that rela-
tions between .Costa Rica end
the Communist world pose
no threat.
? "Let the Soviets come with
a' 100,man embassy for all I
care," he said. "After all
these years, Costa Rican
Communists have managed
to win only two scats in eon-
press. 1./hat can the Soviets
do that Cosh Ricans them-
selves cannot?"
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GRAND RAPIDS, MICH,
PRESS
MAR 23 197f
E - 133,419
S - 133,539
Coffee Break
. "It is a stroke of good fortune for
the United States," the Kansas City
'Star has observed editorially, "that
Costa Ricans ha.ve a ,sense of
humor."
What provoked that observation
wa. President Jose Figueres' com-
ment in requesting the United
States to recall from Costa Rica
the State Department's chief politi-
cal officer there, Missourian Earl
Williamson.
"It so happens," said Figueres,
"that the Russians drink a lot of
tea, but that Costa Rica would
rather have them drink a lot of
coffee."
Williamson, it is charged, in
addition to his State Department
duties in Costa Rica, may also have
been moonlighting as the CIA's
representative there. In any case,
the envoy has succeeded in thor-
oughly disgusting the Figueres
regime which, if not following the
path of right-wing dictators long
tolerated by the US., at least
in. Costa Rica
presents uS with -a gj..rm and demo-
cratic ally in Latin America..
Mr. Williamson, who is related
by marriage to wealthy ex-Cubans,
apparently has his own ideas on
what constitutes 1.:Etn democracy,
and without further guidance from
Washington, he ban to create
static over Costa Rican coffee
trade with Russia. inch trade is vi-
tal to the Costa Meat economY, but
President Figuerei; claims that
Williamson tried to stir up a
military coup over the issue.
No time should belost in clearing
up the Williamson lase and in put-
ting at rest any Mhunderstanding
that exists betwm Washington
and San Jose. g, as President
Figueres charges, there has been
heavy-handed bluidering by an
American official, it is intolerable
to let the situatidn drift. If, on the
other hand, it is.not much more
than a silly mistaterstanding, the
need to clear the air is equally
imperative.
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13 LiAl.toil 1971 ?
?:?-%
r
(?,'-:)) (--1
Vt,..1 ? .
_
The events in Costa Rica 'described here lift the cu.:-
tetn a fiactien en the. way the CIA continucs its eperationS
in 1,atin Anieri::e (as well cis everyWhaie else in the
belya the ino Grande, cl.:2n::;er flashooints
tke pub!ic at CtA pIattir,u3 c:st Cuba,
'.vthere, Jack Andersan rei?crts in his syn?lic...t.cd
? the con:,...oiracl-ls ed efferts to assas::inete Prima ?ni5.-
ter -J
Ctrs-4o; i Chile,.w!lere the nevi severninunt hes
'roused the ire. cf the t?-ligen A4nlinistratien and the big
LJS.soi:per comeratians; ? in. r:cuaeor cid other cau.ntries
? .avhere sovere!on disr,ity as vie% as fishing rhts are in roe '
bc:lar.ce. So it cjc:.--,s uzy a ncrclos.-:n the hcinisphc re.
? Ay 1????11iEELER
WASIIINGTON
bsta Rican newspapers and the Miami .?( Florida
Iferald have reported a- possible plat 1-)y the CIA
.to overthrow the governinent of Costa Rica. The pho is
said to have involved the dropping cf a sLipload Of arms
on a lonely Pacific beach of Costa Rica from a ship
idcn-
tified as the "Waltham."
Implicated in the charges is Earl (Ted) Williamson,
a shadowy figure attached to the U.S. Embassy in-San
Jese, Costa Rica, but commonly known there as "CIA.
chief of station," the Miami Herald declared in a report,
7" Feb. written bv.Don Bohning, the Herald's Latin Amer-
ica editor. .
Williamson is said to have predicted the. early de-
mise of the regime of President Jose Fisueres Ferrer,
because it is asserting independence from the U.S. by
.opening trade relations with the Soviet Union. Czecho-
' slovakia, Poland and other socialist nations.
Legislators, newspaper editors and othersupporters
ef-Figueres are so outraged at revelation of the plot and
7-Williamson's involvement that State Department brief-
ing officer Robert McCloskey?quietly announced last
week Williamzon's impending withdrawal from Costa
o:olda lelepOone call to the CIA here we asked Joseph
Goadwin, Assistant" to CIA Director Richard Helms, if,
indeed. Williamson is on the CIA payroll. Goodwin re-
plied, "We don't rrosl;e public statements." ? -
- McCloskey was bombarded with questions about the.
plot two days running last week: Minutes of the briefing
feb. 9 declare: ? ? ?
C:uestion: Bob, -have any of our diplamats boom re-
called 'from Costa Rica in connection with these charges
of CIA activity down there? ?
MeClos'key: Well, let me say first that no agency of
the United States Government has been involved in ac-
tivityaglinst APPrenetildi? PeteIge 001103/04 : CIA-RDP80-01601R000500020001,7
?
aware of allegations to the effect and they are not true...
The gove ?nmont ill Costa. Rica has denied that it has de-
- claret] any American official PNG --persona non grata.
I have nothing to add to those statements which have
been - - ?
Again on Feb. 11, McCloskey was closely questioned
by reporters:
_ Questioa: Bob, could you confirm a report that the
American political officer in Costa 'Rica is being with-
drawn?
McCloakey:."Earl Williamson, who has been -as-
signed to the American Embassy down there for, I be- ?
lieve, the last two and a half years will be returning
from there sonietime, I believe, next month.
Question: Does Mr. Williamson work for the CIA?
,
McCloskey: Mr. Williamson .has leen assigned to
the American Embassy in. Costa Rica. I'm not in .the
practice of identifying persons %oho. work for the CIA."
(emphasis mine.- T.W.) .
Ilis Exc.ePon4 Raphael Alberto Zuniga, Costa Ri-
ca's .Ambassador to the U.S., told World Magaziae his
governmcnt has denied "what the Miami Iterald re- ?
Feria" "We emphasize that we have and want to main-
tain very cordial relations with the Unite.d States," Zuno
iga added. The reports of an attempted coup, he added,
are "probably rumors in San Jose."
?
he defended Costa Rica'S.expandiag i...iiplornatic ties L
with the socialist nations of Eastern Europe. "These re-'
lations are going to be established," he. said, -."jost as
Colombia and, Mexico have done. They will be mainly . ?
commercial and trade 'relations. We have to sell our
coffae to the European countries. That is where the mar- ?
ket ?
But sohile the "Figneres -govern:a-sent, for Its own
reasons, is denying the attempted colon press and radio
conosonatary in San Jose continues to categorically
da-
cbi-c that an acmed attack on the government was
plotted, and that Williamson was directly involved. A
broadcast by San Jose Radio Reloj, Feb. 10, monitored
by the U.S. State Department and transcribed in jour-
nal titled "Foreign Beoadcast Intormation Servo-e"
declared, "The case of the Central Intelligence Ag.,-tInv
(CIA) and Figueres isa case which has been handled hest
by the State Department. It is evident that. there was in-
- tervention and it is evident that evers thing was patched
up at home. ? ? ' ? . . ?
"Nothing remains for exportation except a -clood of
smoke which no one will hb able to figure out.
. ? "There is evidenet Which cannot be obliterated '
the. affirmation bo several Liberation deputies (mem-
bers of Fiouere.s National Liberation Party (PlaN), that
Approved For Release 2001/03/04: CrAPRDP80-01601
- 8 MAR 1971
COSTA RICA
Freelance Diplomacy
In Costa Rica's admirable if not en-
tirely unblemished history of democratic
government, no figure stands taller than
diminutive (5 ft. 3 in.), scrappy Jos?
Eigyeres Ferrer, 64. At the head of a rag;
tag band of rebels in 1943, "Don Pepe"
routed a Communist military coalition
that had tried to seize power illegally.
He banned the Communist party, abol-
ished the army (Costa Rica has not
had one since), instituted many social re-
forms and, after 18 months, restored
power to the elected President. Figueres
was elected to the presidency in his
own right in 1953 and again last year.
Educated at M.I.T. and married to an
American, he became an outspoken sup-
porter of the U.S. Opponents frequently
charged, in fact, that he was too pro-
Yankee. .
With that sort of record, Pepe
Figueres seems a most unlikely target
\i for a Guatemala-style plot engineered
by CIA agents and aimed at his over-
throw. Yet that is precisely what Costa
Rican officials claim has happened in
the tiny (pop. 1,700,000) Central Amer-
ican republic. They do not accuse Wash-
ington of sponsoring the scheme, but
they make no secret of their
suspicions about some officials
who happened to be working
for the U.S.
Astonishing Question. The
plot began to take shape in
1968, when one Earl J. Wil-
liamson was assigned to the
American embassy in San Jose
as a political officer. William-
son, 55, also served as CIA sta-
tion chief. While he was at-
tached to the U.S. embassy in
Havana during the Batista era,
he had married the vivacious
niece of a wealthy Cuban sug-
ar baron. The Williamsons
moved in wealthy San Jos?ir-
cles, where Pepe Figueres was
considered a "Communist" by
some because of his social re-
forms. Williamson and his wife
made no effort to hide their dis-
like for the President?particularly after
Don Pepe, having already established re-
lations with Rumania, Bulgaria and Hun-
gary, moved to exchange ambassadors
with the Soviet Union as well. (Costa
Rica has been selling its surplus coffee
to the Russians for U.S. dollars for
two years.)
Last October the Costa Rican gov-
ernment ' received intelligence reports
that Williamson was actively abetting a
right-wing antigovernment plot. The
State DepartMent was asked to quietly
arrange his transfer. Nothing was done.
Shortly after New Year's, Costa Ri-
can Ambassador to Washington Rafael
A. Zuliiga visited Assistant Secretary
of State Charles Meyer and bluntly
asked: "Is the U.S. plotting the over-
throw of Don Pepe?" Meyer expressed
astonishment, and a few days later, State
Department Troubleshooter C. Allan
Stewart was dispatched to San Jos?
Still Williamson Was not redalled.
Fully expecting a coup in early Jan-
uary, Figueres' governthent put the
3,000-man civil guard on full alert. Con-
tingency plans called for Figueres to be
whisked to the hills to. protect him
from assassination. .The coup did not
come off, but the following week San
Jose once again requested Williamson's
recall. Last week the CIA man and his
wife finally departed. At the same time, V
Ambassador Walter C. Ploeser, a con-
servative former insurance executive,
began cutting the AID program's per-
sonnel and trimming the Peace Corps
(though Costa Rican's wanted it expand-
ed). He also says he plans to boost se-
curity personnel to maintain surveillance
of the Russians when they come.
Overzealous Actions. Washington
sources suggest that Figueres engineered
the whole plot story to get rid of Wil-
liamson and Ploeser, a Nixon appointee.
Don Pepe is, after all, an emotional
man; only two weeks ago, he slapped a
student for razzing him.
In Washington, Williamson was or-
dered to make no comment on the sit-
uation. Ploeser may indeed be recalled
before long?but at Foggy Bottom's
BERNARD DIEDERICH
FIGUERES AFTER 1970 VICTORY
A most unlikely target.
pleasure, not Don Pepe's. And a House
Foreign Affairs subcommittee, after a
closed hearing, found 110 evidence that
the U.S. Government had "attempted
to overthrow" th Figueres government,
although it did cite "overzealous ac-
tions" by unnamed officials.
One U.S. embassy official in San
Jos?lamed the Administration's ex-
ceptionally low profile in Latin America
for the diplomatic debacle. "We are float-
ing In the policy of no policy," he said,
"and a la of guys start to freelance."
To raise the profile a bit, Secretary of
State William Rogers will be going to
San Jose next month to attend the
Latin American Foreign Ministers con-.
ference. For his part, Don Pepe has
asked the Russians, who were scheduled
to open their embassy this week, to put
it off for a while.
STATI NTL
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?
ANS7.73 TI=S
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2 MAR NI
Loose. Talk
'
,
ruates TightaSpot
STATINTL
When it was disclose'cl that the CIA's
man in Costa Rica was being accused of
complicity . in a plo,t ..to overthrow .the -
'government of that country, most of us fi-
gured the man was . the victim of a
frameup.. ? , , ?
:After all, Costa Rica is one of the West-
6rn Hemisphere's. most democratic coun-
tries. Its president, 'Jose Figueres, a long-
time friend of the United Statest is so anti- .?
Communist that his foreign minister called
last June for. collective 'action "to promote?
an internal uprising". in Cuba.
? ...Incredibly, though, it seems that Earl
aed) Williamson?an American embassy
official reputed to ? be the CIA chief in
Costa Rica?left himself and the United
,States open to the accusation'.
. ? As Times correspondent Francis B. Kent
reported in a Weekend dispatch, William.:
son had been critical of Costa Rica's dee,-
' sion?to establish diplomatic relations with
the Soviet Union. Just before Christmas,
he was heard predicting that the Figueres'
? government would not last another two
weeks.
When rumors of a plot to overthrow
Fl-
gueres thereupon grew, the Costa Rican
? government remembered the diplomat's
prediction?and, understandably, was not
'amused. ? ? ?
. ? Only after repeated requests; however, -
did Washington finally get around to. or-
dering Williamson out of Costa- Rica a few
days ago.
We do not believe for :a minute that the..
United States (or Williamson, ? for tbat
'matter) was actually engaged in a plot to
overthrow Figueres. ? ?
It is astounding, .however, that a U.S. re-
presentative abroad?whether wearing his
diplomatic or CIA hat?would indulge in
loose talk- imperiling relations with a
friendlY government. It is even 'more as-
tounding that, once the flap arose, Wash- .
ington was so lackadaisical about setting
things right.
?
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riousroN,
?posT
2g9,85
? 322,763 ;
rT-17
I? ,?.,,,, ?0-- -,,,,7- --,-, ..1-,,, rt
S 111.1"3 --
/ 62:i iLA,II,D
..11 11*
it, .11
11 .11
p 11 ?/-1
Ur, v.v.L, ?
By W.. D. LNDELL
Aside from the chronic bad
weather to the south, the
United States has run into a
series of regional squalls.
Costa Rica,
They involve
Panama, , and
Ecuador. '
? Tht Costa
Rica squall is -
n ow officially
over, but it r:e4,2re?,
threw a cloud
? over the presi-
dency of Jose /
Eigueres.
h
? Eigueues, tra- ? ;/1
ditionally
- known as a friend of the U.S.,
' came into office last May
as the result of an over-
!NI:Chiang- election victory. Ile
went to work quickly to find
markets for Costa Rican
products. One of his big tar-
- gels was Russia. Trade has
already begun. Exchange of
. ambassadors is near.
As a result Figueres, who
. was a hero of the Costa Rican
War of Liberation in the 40s
and a celebeated president in
the Rs, has become con-
troversial. There is fear in
Costa Rica and elsewhere
? that recognition of Russia will
lead to recognition of Cuba
and 'Communist China.
EIGtall?..ES backers say it
, isn't 'so. They cite the long-
standing feud. between Fig-
,
ueres and Fidel Castro. Cas-
? tro openly accuses Costa Rica
or harboring so c re t bases
?`, from which an invasion of
? Cuba is planned.
e
Eigueres had apparently.'
ridden out the Cuba scare,
however, and only a little tur-
bulence remained. Then the
U. S. Embassy in San JO:i7,
the capital of Costa Rica,
made some news. Possibly it
was pure coincidence.
The Embassy's political of- .
ficer, Earl Williamson, was
it Ii d r a win . There were
charges that he had been the
Central Intelligence Agency
Loss in Costa Rica. There
were reports that the U. S.
was trying to discredit or
overthrow the Figures gov-
ernment.
State Department front /
man Robert J. McCloskey de- v.
nied the, overthrow story..
Asked about Williamson, he
said, "I am not in the prac-
tice of identifying persons
who work for the .Cili*"."
Charles A. MeyelYa;sistant
.ecretary of state for Latin
American affairs, went before
a congressional ? subcom-
mittee. The subcommittee lat-
er reported that it found "no
foundation for the charge that
the United States has been in-
volved in any attempt to
overthrow the government of .
President Jose Fig,ueres."
RUT VIE- CLKD had al-
ready settled over Fi,gueres.
The other day, when a stu-
dent booed him, Figures
slapped the. student. Figueres
is 64 now and he has changed '
since the earlier years when :
he would have handled the in- :
cident another, way. Latin ?
America has changed too, hut !
*not to the point* that a pblicr
slap can be forgotten. ?
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?
F,A 1 OUT? Approved For Relp.???_2QQ.1/04/04 :
"NI `e 8 FES 971
1
C-
s'a ri."*.et, -
. ? 1 ?
. rrl ri? rs7i
.6- e
1
6 ,11.1F714"!r?t'i I i
in? iti U.
?
BY FRANCIS B. KENT ?
. . Times Sten WiltEr
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica--
Foreign agents, snuggled ..
guns and the lightning .
coup are as commonplace
as bananas in this part of
the world. But not in
Costa Riee, pea.ceful
little ? reputaie has long
been known as the Switz-
erland of CLLaLtral Aeric;.
Yet. all these elements--
and more--have surfaced
here in the last few weeks,
to the acute embarrass-
ment ofboth the Costa Bi-
cp.and U.S. governments.
The'. fallont to date in-
cludes. the recall of 'a U.S.
Embassy official generally
identified as station chief .
for the central Intek?
lioence Agency here and
th.'e. ? dismissal of the U.S.',
aid mission director. .
(
- ? - Plot Charged ? ?
Earl (Ted) Williamson,
-No. 2 Man in the embas-
sy's political section and,
reputedly, the CIA's top
official here, left San Jose
last Sunday for Washing-
ton amid widespreadshar-
ges of complicity in a plot
to overthrow the govern-
ment of President Jose Fi-
gueres. His N'Athdrawal ?
had been sought repeated-
ly by the Costa Rican
government.
AlthoUgh U.S. Ambassa-
dor Walter C. Pleesee and
State Department offiCials
in Washington vigorously
deny the charges of -U.S.
involvement, there. is
Much evidence to the con-
trary. Moreover, sources
? well up in the Figueres
government expect to See
Ploeser..himaelf depart
soon for another . assigns.
ment.
. ?
. To Preserve Ties ?
Figtieres, too, in an ef-
fort to preserve his long-
standing _friendship witla
. the - United States, .has
gene out of his wayAtsgst
nionstrate publicly thgt741
is well ;between the- two
It-la krat)Wit,ers6rietbeleas, criticism was echoed by ?I?vi.). r .et? ? ?11 --ILI, Or:, -4-
that:. ? . , his wife ,._ ? ? gueres 'zi waY . 'front : .the
ILI social circles.
s ? ,- 'scene of *expected trouljle,
7 .---The .Figtteres govern- : Figuerea, for , his part, and. Fig u e r e s, asked a
wilt seriously 'feared an said he was only followina. -friend in-the State I)epart-
uprising tri- early Januarses ?the lead of 15resident Nix- ment to pull Williamson
.
--_-The_G?tardia..civil, Co- on, who had said it. was out of the ccinntry,'a move
s t a Rica's only a rine d .
time to end the era of eon-- .;rthiat reportedly infuriated
force, as alerted at that oeeei.
time and plans were Made- rrontation and begin an: - Meanwhile, Lawrence E..
to remove Figueres from era of negotiation. . . ;Harrison, chief of the aid
. No Effort to Curb . mission here and architect
Ploeser, a pt. Louis. ban-. tot' a $22 million program
timed primarily at hn-
ktr and insurance mail,is ?proving Costa Rican agri-
Republica ns ; -ttongre,.4ettaan culture, had gone to Wash-
f roras19,11 : toalM sa mi aa a ington for what were de-
acribed assi outine consul%
Jations. Harrison had not
g-ptten along with the am-
? llaassador, who is deecribed- ?
bY embassy sources as
feeling that Harrison was
- ?
?
the capital tp a hiding
place in the rnounlains.
. Fall Predicted
--Williamson, a f r e-
euent critic ? of Figueres,
had publicly forecast not
long before that the II 1- effe6..fis-e. GO.c3:1U.rid-raibi;
.. .
gueres government would arrived here in April. He
not survive another two js said to have Ina& no de
weeks. r fort to curb Williamson's
? U.S. and Costa Rican of- ., public - outbursts against
, - . iguel es.
pressed astonishment, at : The situation came. to a too -closesto an edministra-
the very idea of a U.S: in- bead just before Christ- -
;Lion that was drifting clan-
telligence agent conspire anas, when Williamson ob- -
'gerously to the left. . .
?
? 1 1
. ?
? -
"
lug to overthrow the served ata cocktail party Harrison has ribt res -
government of a Man who, that Figueres' g e r n- turned and will not res
over the years, has been ment would not last be- Ploeser has assumed
among the Warmest of . yond two more weeks. In WI it. h .
-aansibilities as
Latin America. Even So, in have been over - looked, . chief of the aid-mission.
'Washington's friends . in itaelf, the remark might s. rest
the livht of circumstances, - but there was more. - ' 'Against this back-
? ground, former .Ambassa-
?
Arms Movemeut'
have suggested that such a ?. ? ? doe Allen Stewart, an old
Simultaneously, a rinnore
development is not al- friend of Figueres, was
swept through. San Jose
together unlikely. . sent here to investigate.
. . - that arms had been landed
Start of Trouble Ile is reported on the best
? . Clandestinely. on the n- of authority to have told
Difficulties between the- mote Peninsula de. Osa ih It'igueres that official cab-
embassy here and the Ft- ? the southwest. Other W.12 a - - les- reaching Washington
gueres government date ' pons were reported. to be had described the -situa-
back to the president's in- - moving across the border tion as dangerous. Fi-
aug 'ration last spring, fol- . with-Nicaraabna. - - gums ? was accused . of
lowing an overwhelming -- ploeaer told - reporters abandoning the West and
electoral victory over op- 014 there were "certainly . facing Eat, .of having acs
position on the far left and110. -ships Owned ..by ? ?ansv cepted financial assfstance
far right. ''ie-rine--se of t fib u:p it ed - *from the Communists for
..
A charter member of s;:,afe.s.' in th'e Teninattla his caMpaign, of permit-
Latin America's damecra- . tie Qsa area:fie s.,ti."1.hd.Itir..-
. ._ . ting Communists to infil-
highly reliable sources ,
. _ ._ ..,.. ..
seasnatel ? y oftered to isso- trate his government. .
Vide ? surface.. -vessels an , Figueres who has 'been
-a.lretatft from U.S. bases in , callgi "disgustingly pro-
' Panama to investigate the United States.," told Stew- '
reports. It ? has been sug-, art-that he remained solid-
egested, officially that what ly anti-Communist.. Stew.- .
was landed there -might 'i art reportedly left Costa
It a v e b e e n contraband i' Rica convinced that the
3vhisky. ''. . ' charges were w it h o u t
No QUE.'S tion : - i foundation.
- . ?
.
s
;? -
tic left 't'irmerea hat' led ? .
an anti-Communist rebels
- lion here in 19.4S, served as
president .fiont 1954 to
193S and had lived ?and
taught in the elf 'tiled
States.; He is krioVvn as ad
?ASP oketi critic of
narnist Cuba's'Ficlei
,?7
Cas-
tro. ? e -
. I -
Still, there was friction
from the start with the
embassy: Williamson, who
had served in pre-Castro
Havana and married the
niece i-Of a wealthy sugar
baron, openly criticized Fi-
otitedsFetviftlegiv;e40
diplomatic relations. with
Shortly afterward, There is no question,
fol-
however,- that arms did in; lowing another Figueres
? fact cross: the border' :request for the recall of
from Nicarag WI. These aee Williamson, this time sub-
deacribed'by sources cloae . milled formally by Costa
eto Figueres as .104 ?R c a' s . ambassa.dor in
automatic weaponss?
dame-Washington, Williameon
-
creel at Figueres' request was withdrawn..
by t he goyerninent, or Ploe.ser contends that
-Dria. Gen. Gmar Torrijos Wit liamson'a deuarture
.0140.31114.:,C1A-RDFOGvalSailali00500020001-7
The Guaiiiia- Civil -.-Was any plot ekisted, he has
1r tPu1 --1-1 n fl e? 4:01 it e.n)\ tics, nttrithtn,i
STATINTL
AI
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24 Feb 1971
Diplomat Plotters
? ?
:A.big.scandal has broken out in Costa
Rica. What is more, a diplomatic
scandal, inasmuch as three of the four
persons involved are members- of the .
:fait of the U.S. Embassy in San Jose.
It toutd also with equal justification be
called -in espionage scandal because
the ?diplomats in question combine their
?Waal (unctions with the clandestine
activities of CIA agents.. And these activ-
ities Were directed towards overthrow-
.
ong.the Costa Rican government;
These diplomat plotters are not small
fry..Edward Williamson, for instance, is
First ecretesry of the Embassy. John W.
Bligh- is .!ts economic counsellor. James
E. .Keri is a consul. And the only member
of this cqmpany of plotters who operat-
ed under a different guise is Lawrence
?. Harrison. ' He heads the local branch
. of 'the Agency for International De-
iyeldpment. .
....
.The Mastermind of : the' plot .,was
Edwof.d Williernsor.t. the CIA boss In StM.
Jose:: , ? ? ? '. ' '`... .. -I: .: ,';'', ? ;._
Reports in La Libertad and other 1
Costa Rican newspapers reveal some in-
teresting details of the planned coup
d'efat. The role of the striking force was ?
assigned to a local fascist group known
as the Free Costa Rica Organization. Its
members were supplied with arms by .
the Central Intelligence Agency and
were taught to handle them at a secret
camp. The activity of this fifth column of
Washington's was directed by the CIA
agents entrenched in the U.S. Embassy. 41
When the plot was uncovered, the
first name to crop up was that of Edward
Williamson. Subsequent Investigations:
showed that Bligh, Kerr and Harrison
.were also Implicated. ? '
? 1
. The.Costa .' Rican government
'thereupon: eskid?Washittpton IQ .retell
Why was the plot hatched/
President Jose Figueres Ferrer, whom
the plotters were planning to?overthrow,
has been steering a course aimed at
strengthening the country's economic '
and political?independence. If is to this
end that he set out to develop the
country's diplomatic and trade ties with
foreign countries. Since his election,
Costa Rica has established or extended
trade and diplomatic relations with a
number of socialist countries. Last sum-
mer she signed a trade agreement with
the Soviet Union, and diplomatic rela-
tions between these two countries were
fully normalized of the beginning of
this year,
The policy, pursued by the Costa Rican
President . aroused the displeasure of
Washingt?n,'where it was felt that Costa
Rica was slipping from its grip. Hence
the:CIA's:collusion' with tie Costa. Rican
reaction: Yr?-":..::,!.? ? '
. . .
. :it V. Ryaranfsev
STATI NTL
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? ?
STATINTL
Approved For Release 2001/03/04: CIA-RDP
KANSAS CITY, MO.
STAR
E - 325,351
$_ - 396 682
2 197V
day to Won Friends in
Lin America
? ?
.
Among all the nations of Latin America, the
United States has. no better friend than Costa
Rica.. For various reasons the U. S. has been
popular there. Costa Rica is highly regarded by
its neighbors. in the. hemisphere because it is
'prosperous and has a long, democratic tradition.
When an Jose has gone along with U. S. policy
on ccrt ain occasions, other nations have.
followed.
Thus the recent fus.s over a State department
political officer, Earl Williamson, is most unfor-
tunate. Williamson is leaving Costa Rica at the
request?of President Jose Figueroa. It has been
said that Williamson is the chief Central Intelli-
gence Agency officer there arid that he has been
working against the president. Figueres wants
to. recolsn; ize the Soviet Union which has bought
a. lot of coffee lately. .
-There is considerable reason to believe that
Williamson is innocent in this case regardless of
whether he is a C. I. A. representative. As a
political officer it is his duty to know politicians
of all persuasions. Many Costa Ricans are upset
over the move toward Russian recognition, and
Williamson .uncloobtecily knows some of those
people. But Figueres himself said the other day
that the charges against Williamson were made
by peaple who couldn't prove them.; -
?
In the.rnidst?of all this stands Walter .C. Pines
-
of,. the .American ambassador:. He is a Si. Louis
_ .
insurance executive;. a former member of Con-
gress from St. Louis; ambassador to Paraguay
two years in the Eisenhower administration, and
a former Republican national committeeman
from Missouri. He is known as an outstanding
fund raiser for the party.
President Figueres insists that he gets along
fine with Ploeser and has sent out a telegram_
saying so. The ambassador reciprocated with a
dinner for the president. But there are Costa Ri-
cans who believe the ambassador doesn't spend
enough time at Ms job and others who say he is
too codaervative. Of course any ambassador is
certain to have detractors.
The fact remains that one of the . friendliest
nations to the United States has had to ask for
?
? the recall of an important embassy official. The
president,of the country has felt onged to re-
state the basis of that friendship and point out
politely that the Russians drink a lot of tea and
that he would rather have them drill% eo.'_fee.
The United States has plenty of. enemies.
Enough nations already are suspicious of our
motives. International difficulties erupt without
any bidding from this country. It is intolerable
if heavy-handed blundering leads to unnecessary
Strain with one' of our true friends. This has
been a silly encounter. Fortunately, the Costa
Ricans have a sense of humor.
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Approved For Release 2001/03/04: CIA-RDP80-01
NATIONAL JOURNAL
20 Feb 1971
Central Intelligence
Agency
Notes
Costa Rica controversy: Earl Wil-
liamson, the agency's station chief in
Costa Rica, is returning "to the United
States for another assignment, the
State Department confirmed Feb. 17.
A subcommittee of the House Foreign
Affairs Committee said Feb. 10 there
is "no foundation for the charge,"
which appeared in press accounts in
Miami and Latin America, "that the
United States government had been
involved in any attempt to overthrow
the government of (Costa Rica's)
President (Jose) Figueres."
STATI NTL
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NATI (?-_-_?.:3
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0 FED 197?
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