PURCHASE OF CZECH ARMS BY ECUADORAN ARMY OFFICERS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R002100620008-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 17, 1998
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: December 13, 1948
• Content Type: REPORT

CLASSIFICATION 25X1A2g
Sanitized - Ap p LFqTT &IV E %TRP82-00 "1
`NFORMVMATION REPORT
COUNTRY Ecuador
SUBJECT Purchase of Czech Arms by Ecuadoran Army
PLACE
ACQUIRED
25X1A6a
mmment. A similar transaction is presently believed to be in process
n the Ministry for the purchase of over a thousand .22 caliber rifles,
DATE DISTR, 13 December194a
NO. OF PAGES 1
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
is S
'17
Auth:
Date -4A Y 1978 L :
5TAT1 TI
Officers
25X1A6a
NO Class.
1. Additional information received on the purchase of Czech arms by the Ecuadoran
Ministry of National Defense reveals that this was a private, rather than an
official, transaction. Robert.Bartus, Quito representative for the Strakonice
Arms Works of Czechoslovakia, arranged the deal in January 1948 with a group
of Ecuadoran Army officers, headed by Lt. Colonel Octavio Hinostroza, Chief
of Ordnance. The purchase was for 1,000 Czech automatic pistols, caliber 7.65,
which were to be sold to various Army officers at 400 sucres apiece. The
actual cost for each pistol was 349 sucres. The difference was pocketed by
the officers handling the transaction, primarily Hinostroza. Since there are
not more than 750 officers on active duty in the Ecuadoran Army, many of these
pistols were sold to civilian friends of the officers.
2. It was also learned that any future shipments from the Czech Government will
be made through the port of Gdynia, Poland. This, it is hoped, will eliminate
any chance of confiscation such as was experienced with the first shipment of
these pistols,
with the trademark "Mossberg", from the United States. These rifles are
ostensibly for training purposes, but actually will be sold for personal use.
More information on this will be forwarded when acquired.)
ARMY AFR