In this document the human rights violations of the Guatemalan government are clearly acknowledged. It is proposed that the US government distances itself from the regime, with two possible outcomes. Either the Guatemalans fail to end the revolution and must make a deal with the US, or they do end the revolution and the US can distance itself from the bloodshed.
This document is important to my research because it reveals the relationship the US maintained with Guatemala. While concerned with the humanitarian crisis, the US still values a relationship on their terms above all else.
“Guatemala: What Next?”, Department of State, secret memorandum, October 5, 1981. https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB32/vol2.html