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150. Telegram From the CIA Station in Guatemala to Operation PBSUCCESS Headquarters in Florida 1

Guatemala City, May 16, 1954, 0925Z.

567. 1. [name and less than 1 line of source text not declassified], obtained following info from one [less than 1 line of source text not declassified] employee and confidant: ship named Alfhem not listed in Lloyds Registry and flag and port of origin unknown, arrived Puerto Barrios 1500 hours 15 May. Was met by Minister Defense Sanchez who managed get ship docked and unloaded by 18 hours.2 Shipment consigned [Page 286] to WSBURNT government and allegedly is 2,000 tons armament types unknown.

2. Investigation continues. Shall advise.3 Possibility provocative effort.

3. Request priority any information you may have.

4. Alerting Semantic but doubt we or he could do anything even if armament shipment.

5. If arms, could [place not declassified] send sab team in time?4 Shall try delay through [less than 1 line of source text not declassified] shipment to capital if story proves true.

6. Evaluated F–3.

  1. Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Job 79–01025A, Box 4, Folder 6. Secret; Priority; Immediate Action; PBSUCCESS; RYBAT; INTEL. Repeated to the Director of Central Intelligence.↩
  2. Telegram 570 from Guatemala City, May 17, corrected this sentence to “Ship docked and unloading by 1800 hours.” (Ibid., Box 11, Folder 1)↩
  3. In telegram 568, May 16, the Station in Guatemala reported that the ship was believed to be Swedish and that the shipment might possibly be “arms purchased by Martinez on European trip.” The Station believed action was necessary: “JMBLUG also considers imperative large quantity arms not arrive safely. We do not have necessary sabotage elements. Can trained sab [sabotage] team be sent from [place not declassified]? Does possibility exist use frogmen or other type attack against ship before unloading accomplished? If not recommend consideration be given sab train enroute capital.” (Ibid.)↩
  4. Telegram 2793 from PBSUCCESS Headquarters to Guatemala City, May 17, reads: “1. Instruct first and second rail teams to act against first freight train from Puerto Barrios. 2. This constitutes go.” (Central Intelligence Agency, Job 79–01025A, Box 4, Folder 6)↩