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courage is contagious

Viewing cable 06LAPAZ868, POLOFF'S FIRST HAND LOOK AT VENEZUELAN

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06LAPAZ868 2006-03-29 14:14 2011-08-30 01:44 CONFIDENTIAL Embassy La Paz
VZCZCXRO5889
PP RUEHLMC
DE RUEHLP #0868 0881414
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 291414Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY LA PAZ
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8646
INFO RUEHAC/AMEMBASSY ASUNCION 5730
RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 3008
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA 6880
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 4117
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 1430
RUEHPE/AMEMBASSY LIMA 1370
RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO 3685
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO 4072
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO 8604
RHMFISS/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RUMIAAA/USCINCSO MIAMI FL
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 000868 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/17/2016 
TAGS: ECON PGOV PREL BL PINR
SUBJECT: POLOFF'S FIRST HAND LOOK AT VENEZUELAN 
INDOCTRINATION EFFORTS 
 
Classified By: Amb. David N. Greenlee for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (C)  On a March 18 group tour to Lake Titicaca Poloff 
witnessed first hand rudimentary indoctrination efforts of 
the Venezuelan government officials towards Bolivians.  By 
chance, the only other people on the tour were two female 
employees of PDVSA, the Venezuelan government owned oil 
company.  (Comment:  Poloff identified herself only a an 
American briefly in Bolivia, not as a USG official.  End 
comment.)  They mentioned that they were in Bolivia for work. 
 Once on the Island of the Sun, the Venezuelans proceeded to 
stop at each vendor they passed and purchased something from 
each one, even if it was a small hand woven bracelet that 
cost only 2 bolivianos (roughly USD $0.25).  They would 
proceed to tell the vendor where they were from and a little 
bit about themselves and what they were doing in Bolivia. 
(Comment:  While it would not seem out of the ordinary for a 
tourist to make a purchase and chit chat with a vendor, the 
Venezuelans literally stopped at each one they passed and 
appeared to be spreading information about the Bolivarian 
revolution.  End comment.) 
 
2.  (SBU)  On the way back to the mainland, one of the 
Venezuelans proceeded to get into a heated discussion with 
the tour guide about the importance of the Cuban and 
Venezuelan presence in Bolivia.  The tour guide argued that 
President Evo Morales has not done anything since he took 
office and that as an opposition leader he had demanded more 
teachers and better salaries.  As a President he had denied 
both.  Making matters worse, the guide continued, Morales was 
bringing in Cuban doctors instead of hiring unemployed 
Bolivian doctors.  One of the Venezuelans proceeded to tell 
the tour guide that he did not understand the important job 
that the doctors were doing.  They were going into violent 
and unsafe neighborhoods to help sick people where Bolivian 
doctors had so far not gone.  The tour guide responded that 
many of the unemployed doctors live in those unsafe 
neighborhoods and would be willing to do the job if they were 
hired.  The Venezuelan retorted that the Cuban doctors were 
only provided daily meals and were not drawing a salary.  The 
tour guide fired back that he was sure the unemployed 
Bolivian doctors would be willing to work for the same 
stipend if it meant putting some food on their tables at 
night. 
 
3.  (SBU)  The tour guide closed his argument by saying that 
Bolivians are tired of being dependent on foreign 
governments.  He said that many Bolivians voted for Morales 
not because they liked him but because they were hoping for 
some change and so far it was more of the same, only with 
Cubans and Venezuelans.  The Venezuelan responded that she 
"knew for a fact" that there was going to be a drastic 
change. 
GREENLEE