I doubt that St. JP did not read them, but if it’s true, so what? If you understand the process to winnow it down to 3, you probably also understand by that point it makes very little difference.
JP never wallowed in administrative or political conflicts. If that resulted in a few different names on chancery doors, it’s well worth the trade-off for the grace and light and warmth he spread throughout the world... and still does.
You are probably correct in most cases. Or many of them.
He made no attempt to get control of the process, either.
There were people he could have consulted, all over the world, to identify holy, EFFECTIVE priests for the episcopacy. Didn’t do that, either. He let the Lavender Mafia control the process, as it does at the moment.
Bergoglio isn’t even waiting for the Lavender Mafia to select his candidates. He is reaching down into the presbyterate, all over the world but especially in the Spanish-speaking world, to raise “the worst priests he can find” to the episcopacy.