I've read about this crash (following the recent exploration) before. One thing this article did not really delve into is the 'lizard skins' found. There was a large illicit trade in caiman skins around this time, one that Eastern were believed to be complicit in.

An article from the two explorers goes into this in more detail, and it would seem a reasonable conclusion that it was one of the driving factors of the 'cover up'. Discovery of further illegal smuggling by Eastern Airlines would have likely resulted in bans and embargoes. https://operationthonapa.com/an-international-smuggling-ring...