818.00/550
The Costa Rican Agent (Lara) to the Acting Secretary of State2
Your Excellency: I have the honor to bring to Your Excellency’s knowledge that the Government of Costa Rica, informed of the dispatches recently published through the American press about an intended upheaval in Central America and of statements lending to the Department of State the affirmation that official news had been received by it stating that Costa Rica has massed forces at its frontier with Nicaragua, has requested me to formally declare:
That Costa Rica harbors no ill will toward Nicaragua or any other nation and that there are not any Costa Rican armed forces at the frontier, with the exception of the usual detachments of police required to maintain order;
That notwithstanding the situation created by the open protection and help accorded by the Nicaraguan Authorities to a group of Costa Rican malcontents in their endeavors to discredit the present Administration of Costa Rica and their intrigues and manouvres against [Page 806] my Government, Costa Rica has not deemed convenient to adopt retaliatory measures;
That this attitude of the Costa Rican Government if [is?] dictated principally by its desire to avoid any motive of friction with Nicaragua, also obeys to the fact that in view of the special relationship existing between the American and Nicaraguan Governments, it believes that the United States will not—in contrary to the affirmation daily made by the referred group of malcontents—countenance any move tending to trouble the peace of Central America and that the weight of its advice will be employed to that end near the Nicaraguan Authorities.
I will not dwell, Excellency, on the policies and on the attitude of prudence and good will that inspire my Government in this occasion, but I have no doubt that the sense of fairness and equity which guides this great Nation in its foreign policies, will note that our most sincere wish is to be allowed to pursue in peace the work of administration and financial reconstruction initiated by President Tinoco with the approval of the great majority of the people, without, in any way, entering in any undertakings which might provoke conflicts of any kind with Nicaragua or any other nation.
I avail myself [etc.]
- Text received in English.↩