Office of the Historian

127. Memorandum from Edwin M. Martin to McGhee, April 261

April 26, 1962
[Facsimile Page 1]
  • TO: M—Mr. McGhee
  • THROUGH: S/S
  • FROM: ARA-Edwin M. Martin

SUBJECT

  • Guatemala

I have not forgotten your memorandum of April 24 with respect to a Presidential communication to Ydigoras. We have been discussing it carefully as the Guatemalan situation has been evolving. At present we in ARA are unanimously opposed to getting the President into the act at this time. We feel that to do so would inevitably involve his prestige in one way or another. This we think would be unwise for several reasons.

Ydigoras has up to now refused to arrest the Communist leaders, in fact there are some people who feel he has given the Communists financial support on the grounds this strengthens his position with the [Typeset Page 307] United States and with his own military. He also is in close touch with the exiled, soft on Communism and politically popular leader, Arevalo.

At the same time he is constantly crying “wolf, wolf” with respect to the Communists and Castro in a most irresponsible fashion. There is almost no evidence to back up his repeated charges that the Communists were doing this or that.

He and his immediate entourage are thoroughly corrupt and becoming conspicuously so even for Latin America. This is a major factor in the opposition to him.

He has up to now shown little or no interest in governing the country in an even moderately decent way, particularly with respect to the Alliance for Progress objectives.

He is able to maintain himself in power and maintain order primarily as a result of the support of the military. His increasingly inept performance, as described above, is alienating some elements of the military and they can no longer be counted upon to be solidly behind him.

[Facsimile Page 2]

The alternative to Ydigoras is not necessarily chaos or Communism but more likely the succession of the military officer recently chosen as Vice President-designate and, hence, Constitutional successor in case of resignation of Ydigoras. There are one or two opposition leaders in whom we are interested, but none of them has adequate public or military support at present.

We have been working for some time on the problem of what to do in the absence of Ydigoras, and the LA Policy Committee meeting this afternoon will be devoted to this subject. I will let you know what progress we are making. Meanwhile I attach an ARA proposal.

Attachment:

Memo to EMM from OAP–Mrs. Bracken, dated 4/26/62 (Tab A).

  1. Reasons to keep the President from getting involved in Guatemalan situation for the time being. Secret. 2 pp. DOS, CF, 714.00/4–2662.↩