Weekend Violence in Guatemala Claims Peace Corps Volunteer



Weekend Violence in Guatemala Claims Peace Corps Volunteer

The National Security Archive is a non-governmental, non-profit organization founded in 1985 by a group of journalists and scholars who sought a centralized home for formerly secret U.S. government documentation obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. The National Security Archive is proud to have had the opportunity to make a substantial contribution to the Cold War series.

October 30, 1984
Weekend Violence Claims Peace Corps Volunteer, University Professors and Assembly Member
U.S. Embassy in Guatemala, secret cable

As violence in Guatemala continues, this cable reports on a number of recent incidents, including the murders of two prominent professors in the Economics Department of the National University of San Carlos (USAC). One of them -- Carlos de León Guidel -- is included in the Guatemalan army’s logbook. According to that document, de León was captured in 1983 while leaving his office, but "recovered his liberty" (which could mean either that he escaped or was released) six weeks later. A handwritten notation at the bottom of the entry says, simply, "26-10-84 = 300." In the embassy cable, de León is described as having been "killed the evening of October 26 by unknown assailants who intercepted and shot the professor as he was driving home from the university." The cable goes on to describe the recent assassinations as "professional in execution. Circumstantial evidence suggests that at least the de León murder may have been the work of government security forces."

When this story was prepared, here was the front page of PCOL magazine:

This Month's Issue: August 2004 Teresa Heinz Kerry celebrates the Peace Corps Volunteer as one of the best faces America has ever projected in a speech to the Democratic Convention. The National Review disagreed and said that Heinz's celebration of the PCV was "truly offensive." What's your opinion and who can come up with the funniest caption for our Current Events Funny? Exclusive: Director Vasquez speaks out in an op-ed published exclusively on the web by Peace Corps Online saying the Dayton Daily News' portrayal of Peace Corps "doesn't jibe with facts." In other news, the NPCA makes the case for improving governance and explains the challenges facing the organization, RPCV Bob Shaconis says Peace Corps has been a "sacred cow", RPCV Shaun McNally picks up support for his Aug 10 primary and has a plan to win in Connecticut, and the movie "Open Water" based on the negligent deaths of two RPCVs in Australia opens August 6. Op-ed's by RPCVs: Cops of the World is not a good goal and Peace Corps must emphasize community development.

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By Anonymous (196.40.43.210) on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 1:16 pm: Edit Post

I was a PCV at the time of Peter's death. Furthermore, I was in Guatemala at the time of the publication of the Comision de Esclaracimiento Historico's study in 1999 (and served as one of the translators of the English language Executive Summary), and find it appalling that there has never been full disclosure about his murder nor the apparent flight of the perpetrator.