Sheryl P Walter Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Message Text SECRET PAGE 01 BOGOTA 00658 01 OF 02 211720Z ACTION ARA-14 INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 PM-05 NSC-05 SP-02 SS-15 PRS-01 CIAE-00 INR-07 NSAE-00 DODE-00 SNM-05 SY-05 060 W ------------------102691 211732Z 41 R 211620Z JAN 78 FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA TO SECSTATE WASHDC 5903 S E C R E T SECTION 1 OF 2 BOGOTA 0658 E O 11652 XGDS-2 TAGS PINT SNAR CO SUBJECT MEETING WITH LIBERAL PARTY PRE-CANDIDATE TURBAY 1 BEGIN SUMMARY DEPSPITETHE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM THAT JULIO CESAR TURBAY AYALA IS THE TRAFFICKERS' CANDIDATE I HAVE BECOME CONVINCED THAT THE ANSWER IS MORE COMPLEX AND THAT HE IS PROBABLY AN HONEST POLITICIAN OPERATING IN A CORRUPT MILIEU ON THE OTHER HAND HIS OPPONENT FORMER PRESIDENT LLERAS WHO WAS BILLED AS STATESMANLIKE AND HONEST APPEARS FROM RECENT INFORMATION TO BE INVOLVED WITH QUESTIONABLE DRUG TRAFFIC ASSOCIATIONS IN THE CURRENT CONTEXT OF COLOMBIAN SOCIETY POLITICS THIS IS PROBABLY INEVITABLE IN ANY CASE TURBAY APPEARS A LIKELY WINNER AND WE MUST DEAL WITH HIM IN FACT THE EMEGENCE OF POLITICALLY ACTIVE TRAFFICKERS WITH ENORMOUS LIQUIDITY IS FRIGHTENING TRADITIONAL POLITICIANS AND IS PROBABLY THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN INCREASING US-COLOMBIAN COOPERATION IN NARCOTICS INTERDICTION 2 THE CONVENTIMNAL WISDOM IS THAT JULIO CESAR TURBAY AYALA WHO IS LEADING IN THE CONTEST FOR THE LIBERRL PARTY PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION IS THE PREFERRED CANDIDATE OF NARCOTICS TRAFFICKERS IN COLOMBIA THE CONTEST HAS BEEN CAST IN TERMS OF THE CORRUPT MACHINE SECRET SECRET PAGE 02 BOGOTA 00658 01 OF 02 211720Z POLITICIAN VERSUS THE HONEST STATESMANLIKE FORMER PRESIDENT RUMORS CONCERNING TURBAY RANGE FROM THE ALLEGATION THAT HE IS OR HAS BEEN AN ACTIVE TRAFFICKER TO THE ASSERTION THAT WHILE HE MAY BE CLEAN HIMSELF SOME OF HIS ASSOCIATES HAVE LINKS TO THE DRUG TRAFFICKERS IT IS SAID THAT HE HAS RECEIVED IMPORTANT MATERIAL SUPPORT FROM SUCH CIRCLES AFTER HEARING THESE THINGS Sheryl P Walter Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Sheryl P Walter Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 DURING MY BRIEFING SESSIONS IN WASHINGTON AND HAVING THEM REITERATED HERE FROM PARTISAN SOURCES I WAS PREPARED TO BE EXTREMELY SKEPTICAL CONCERNING ANY FACET OF TURBAY'S ACTIVITIES MY CONCERN WAS HIGHTENED BY THE FACT THAT IT IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY EVIDENT THAT TURBAY IS RUNNING WELL AHEAD OF HIS LIBERAL OPPONENT FORMER PRESIDENT CARLOS LLERAS RESTREPO AND CAN BE EXPECTED TO SWEEKP THE ELECTIONS AGAINST CONSERVATIVE CANDIDATE BELISARIO BETANCOUR BARRING PRESENTLY UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES 3 HAVING NOW HAD AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ABOUT A THREEHOUR CONVERSATION WITH TURBAY I AM CONFRONTED WITH THE USUAL TRUISM THAT REALITY IS OFTEN MOR COMPLEX THAN THEORY I WAS IMPRESSED IN SPITE OF MYSELF TURBAY IS HIGHLY ARTICULATE VERY INTELLIGENT AND -- DESPITE THE NECESSARILY IMPRESSIONISTIC NATURE OF MY OBSERVATIONS -- COMES ACROSS AS A VERY OPEN AND HIGHLY ACCOMPLISHED POLITICIAN HE ADDRESSED THE RUMORED CHARGES WHICH I RAISED DIRECTLY WITH HIM HE FLATLY DENIED THE ALLEGATIONS AND CLAIMED THAT THEY WERE THE RESULT OF A WHISPER CAMPAIGN INSTITUTUED BY THE LLERAS CAMP HE VIEWED SUCH TACTICS AS AN INDICATION OF THE DESPPERATION OF THE LLERAS GROUP AND SAID THAT SOME OF THE CLAIMS WERE SO EXTRAVAGANT THAT THEY HAD A BOOMERANG EFFECT GARNERING HIM SUBSTANTIAL SYMPATHY SECRET SECRET PAGE 03 BOGOTA 00658 01 OF 02 211720Z AMONG THE POINTS HE MADE WERE THE FOLLOWING A IF THERE WERE ANY PROOF AT ALL OF THE NUMEROUS ALLEGATIONS HIS OPPOENTS WOULD HAVE BROUGHT IT FORTH EVEN THE PRESIDENT OF THE CHAMBER ALBERTO SANTOFIMIO WAS NOT IMMUNE FROM CHARGES FOR WHICH THERE WAS EVIDENCE AND HE NOW FACES ARREST BOGOTA 0559 IN THIS CONNECTION OUR OWN INTELLIGENCE HOLDINGS TEND TO CONFIRM THIS WHILE THERE IS AMPLE EVIDENCE THAT TURBAY'S NEPHEW ANIBAL TURBAY IS HEAVILY INVOLVED IN TRAFFICKING TURBAY'S MEMO TO ME BOGOTA 457 ARTCULLY DISASSOCIATE S THE CANDIDATE FROM ANY LINK WITH THIS FAMILY BLACK SHEEP A RECENT CONVERSATION I HAD WITH A CRUSTY ANTI-TURBAY HIGH OFFICIAL OF THE NATIONAL POLICE CAUSES ME TO BELIEVE THAT THIS PARTICULAR OFFICIAL'S ATTITUDE WAS GENERATED BY THE NEPHEW'S NEFARIOUS ACTIVITIES HE HAD ALSO STATED THAT MEMBERS OF THE LEBANESE COMMUNITY WHO WERE STRONGLY SUPPORTING TURBAY ONE OF THEIR OWN AND NOT AN INCONSIDERABLE REASON FOR SOME OF THE OPPOSITION TO TURBAY AMONG THE COLOMBIAN ELITE HAVE A DISPROPORTIONATELY HIGH REPRESENTATION AMONG TRAFFICKERS I CAN ONLY CONCLUDE THAT IF THERE WERE ANY EVIDENCE AGAINST TURBAY IT WOULD Sheryl P Walter Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Sheryl P Walter Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 HAVE LONG SINCE BEEN USED B TURBAY HAS CHALLENGED LLERAS ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS TO A MORAL DEBATE AND HAS DONE SO AGAIN AS RECENTLY AS YESTERDAY THIS WOULD CONSIST OF FULL DISCLOSURE OF BANK ACCOUNTS -- INCLUDING A DISCUSSION OF FOREIGN ACCOUNTS ILLEGAL IN COLOMBIA -- INCOME TAX DECLARATIONS REAL ESTATE HOLDINGS ETC TURBAY CLAIMED THAT HIS NET WORTH ALLOWING FOR INFLATION HAS REMAINED CONSTANT FOR THE PAST 20 YEARS HE IMPLIED STRONGLY THAT LLERAS' OWN FULL DISCLOSURE WOULD BE HIGHLY REVEALING AND DAMAGING C TURBAY RECITED A LENGTHY LIST OF HIS SUPPORTERS WHICH INCLUDED PRESTIGIOUS POLITICIANS UNIVERSTIY FIGURES SECRET SECRET PAGE 04 BOGOTA 00658 01 OF 02 211720Z AUTHORS INTELLECTUALS AND JOURNALISTS SECRET NNN SECRET PAGE 01 BOGOTA 00658 02 OF 02 242059Z ACTION ARA-14 INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 PM-05 NSC-05 SP-02 SS-15 PRS-01 CIAE-00 INR-07 NSAE-00 DODE-00 SNM-05 SY-05 ISO W ------------------039891 270007Z 65 41 R 211620Z JAN 78 FM AMEMBASSY BOGOTA TO SECSTATE WASHDC 5904 S E C R E T SECTION 2 OF 2 BOGOTA 0658 HELD FORTH AT SOME LENGH CONCERNING HIS STANDS ON CORRUPTION LAW AND ORDER AND NARCOTICS TRAFFICKING AND COMMITTED HIMSELF SPECIFICALLY TO CLOSE COLLABORATION AND COOPERATION WITH THE U S IN NARCOTICS INTERDICTION 4 TURBAY THEN COMMENTED ON THE ASSOCIATIONS OF HIS OPPONENT CARLOS LLERAS HE CITED A TRIP BY LLERAS TO SANTA MARTA AN AREA KNOWN AS A FOCAL POINT OF Sheryl P Walter Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Sheryl P Walter Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 DRUG TRAFFICKING LERAS IS SAID TO HAVE ADDRESSED HIS SUPPORTERS FROM A BALCONY IN THE COMPANY OF ULVEDA PIETRI THE WELL-KNOWN MISTRESS OF A NOTORIOUS TRAFFICKER WHOSE PSEUDONYM IS CAPTAIN BLACK HE SAID THAT LLERAS' CONGRESSIONAL LIST FOR THE FEBRUARY PSEUDO-PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN THE GUAJIRA AN AREA WELL-KNOWN FOR ITS LAWLESSNESS AND AS A SOURCE OF MARIJUANA WAS LED BY MIGUEL PINEDA BARRIOS THE SCION OF THE MOST NOTORIOUS TRAFFICKING FAMILY IN THE AREA WE HAD RECEIVED THIS PARTICULAR REPORT FROM ANOTHER SOURCE AND WERE TOLD THAT THIS WAS THE PRINCIPAL REASON FOR THE INCLUSION IN PRESIDENT LOPEZ' NEW YEAR SPEECH OF REMARKS TO THE EFFECT THAT NONE OF THE CANDIDATES COULD PRESUME TO HAVE IMPECABLE RECORDS WITH REGARD TO ASSOCIATIONS BOGOTA 0128 TURBAY STATED THAT ONE OF LLERAS' CLOSEST ASSOCIATES AND KEY FUND SECRET SECRET PAGE 02 BOGOTA 00658 02 OF 02 242059Z RAISERS IS FORMER CONSUL GENERAL IN NEW YORK GUSTAVO GAVIRIA GONZALEZ GAVIRIA HE SAID IS UNABLE TO OBTAIN A U S VISA TO OPERATE HIS COFFEE IMPORT FIRM IN NEW YORK BECAUSE OF HIS ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES ONE OF CARLOS LLERAS' SONS IS THE NEW YORK MANAGER FOR THE FIRM WE HAVE IN FACT DENIED GAVIRIA A VISA SINCE WE HAVE REASON TO BELIEVE HE HAS ENGAGED IN NARCOTICS TRAFFICKING 76DEA28937 AND HE IS KNOWN TO BE AN IMPORTANT LLERAS FUND RAISER WE CANNOT CONFIRM WHETHER LLERAS' SON MANAGES GAVIRIA'S BUSINESS IN NEW YORK 5 IT WOULD BE EASY TO CONCLUDE FROM THE ABOVE THAT PERHAPS BOTH GENTLEMEN ARE CROOKS AND THAT WE WOULD BE IN TROUBLE NO MATTER WHO WINS IT SEEMS MORE LIKELY HOWEVER THAT THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL MILIEU OF COLOMBIA HAS DEVELOPED TO A POINT THAT IT IS VITUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO ORGANIZE A POLITICAL GROUP THAT WOULD NOT CONTAIN ELEMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH TRAFFICKERS THIS IS NOT NECESSARILY ALL BAD THE FACT THAT TRAFFICKERS HAVE ENORMOUS LIQUIDITY AND ARE BECOMING ACTIVE POLITICALLY THE MAYOR OF BOGOTA GAVE ME HIS ESTIMATE THAT THE NEXT LEGISLATURE WILL HAVE AT LEASE 10 DEPUTIES WHO WILL BE BEHOLDEN DIRECTLY TO TRAFFICKERS IS SCARING ANY NUMBER OF TRADITIONAL POLITICIANS I AM CONVINCED THAT THIS FACTOR AND THE POTENTIAL CHALLENGE TO THE AUTHORITY OF THE TRADITIONAL RULING ELITE ARE THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENTS IN THE GROWING CONCERN WITH REGARD TO THE TRAFFIC AND THE INCRESASING COOPERATION WE ARE RECEIVING IN ITS INTERDICTION 6 TURBAY IS LIKELY TO BE COLOMBIA'S NEXT PRESIDENT AND Sheryl P Walter Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Sheryl P Walter Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 I BELIEVE IT IS ESSENTIAL TO INCLUDE THAT FACTOR IN OUR SECRET SECRET PAGE 03 BOGOTA 00658 02 OF 02 242059Z PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE IN ORDER TO MAKE THE BEST OF IT HE IS CLEARLY SENSITIVE TO THE WHISPERED ACCUSTATION THAT HE IS THE CANDIDATE OF THE DRUG TRAFFICKERS ASSUMING EVEN A RELATIVE HOESTY ON HIS PART THIS SENSITIVITY WILL BE TO OUR ADVANTAGE IN ACHIEVEING GREATER GOC COOPERATION AGAINST TRAFFICKING IF HE SHOULD BE ELECTED I AM PRESENTLY INCLINED TO BELIEVE THAT HE IS BASICALLY A SOUND INDIVIDUAL FUNCTIONING PRAGMATICALLY IN A CORRUPT MILIEU HIS OBSERVATIONS CONCERNING THE LLERAS WHISPER CAMPAIGN APPEAR TO HAVE THE RING OF TRUTH I INTEND TO MEET FURTHER WITH TURBAY IN ORDER TO FURTHER SOLIDIFY HIS COMMITMENT TO A COMPREHENSIVE NARCOTICS INTERDICTION PROGRAM ASENCIO SECRET NNN Sheryl P Walter Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Sheryl P Walter Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Message Attributes Automatic Decaptioning X Capture Date 01 jan 1994 Channel Indicators n a Current Classification UNCLASSIFIED Concepts PERSONAL OPINION BIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION MEETINGS ELECTION CANDIDATES Control Number n a Copy SINGLE Draft Date 21 jan 1978 Decaption Date 01 jan 1960 Decaption Note Disposition Action RELEASED Disposition Approved on Date Disposition Case Number n a Disposition Comment 25 YEAR REVIEW Disposition Date 20 Mar 2014 Disposition Event Disposition History n a Disposition Reason Disposition Remarks Document Number 1978BOGOTA00658 Document Source CORE Document Unique ID 00 Drafter n a Enclosure n a Executive Order X2 Errors N A Expiration Film Number D780038-0478 Format TEL From BOGOTA Handling Restrictions n a Image Path ISecure 1 Legacy Key link1978 newtext t19780137 aaaabfem tel Line Count 245 Litigation Code IDs Litigation Codes Litigation History Locator TEXT ON-LINE ON MICROFILM Message ID ca0e25e1-c288-dd11-92da-001cc4696bcc Office ACTION ARA Original Classification SECRET Original Handling Restrictions n a Original Previous Classification n a Original Previous Handling Restrictions n a Page Count 5 Previous Channel Indicators n a Previous Classification SECRET Previous Handling Restrictions n a Reference n a Retention 0 Review Action RELEASED APPROVED Review Content Flags Review Date 05 aug 2005 Review Event Review Exemptions n a Review Media Identifier Review Release Date n a Review Release Event n a Review Transfer Date Review Withdrawn Fields n a SAS ID 3735428 Secure OPEN Status NATIVE Subject MEETING WITH LIBERAL PARTY PRE-CANDIDATE TURBAY TAGS PINT SNAR CO US TURBAY AYALA JULIO CESAR To STATE Type TE vdkvgwkey odbc SAS SAS dbo SAS_Docs ca0e25e1-c288-dd11-92da-001cc4696bcc Review Markings Sheryl P Walter Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Markings Sheryl P Walter Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Sheryl P Walter Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014