817.00/4940: Telegram
The Minister in Nicaragua (Eberhardt) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 21—11 a.m.]
175. The Department’s 112, July 18, 5 p.m. Sandino is reported to be an erratic Nicaraguan about 30 years of age with wild Communist ideas acquired largely in Mexico where he spent several years prior to his return to Nicaragua about a year ago via the Coco River plentifully supplied with arms which he gave to followers in northern Nicaragua or concealed there, meantime working at the Butters American mine in San Albino till he finally joined Moncada this spring. Refusing to lay down arms with other Moncada generals he returned to northern Nicaragua where he has since roamed at will with a few followers committing most every known depredation and acts of outlawry. Following his confiscation of the American mine referred to in my telegram number 161, June 30, 2 p.m., the number of his admiring followers increased and he repeatedly wrote insultingly to Captain Hatfield, commander of the garrison at Ocotal, offering his men all loot and plunder they might find and also to join them drinking “Yankee blood” the day soon to be when they would take that town. One o’clock Saturday morning July 16th, Sandino led 300 or 400 men, plentifully armed with rifles, machine guns and bombs made from powder confiscated from the American mine, in an attack on 39 marines and 48 Nicaragua constabulary garrisoned at Ocotal, the latter well supplied with small arms but with only two machine guns. The fight continued till middle of the afternoon with a loss to Sandino of more than 200 men when our airplanes arrived and with bombs and machine gunfire routed the attacker[s] who fled in disorder, Sandino with them.
It should be remembered that for weeks, General Feland had given Sandino every opportunity to surrender or leave the country and had brought upon himself much blame for not having dealt with the bandit more severely. Furthermore, Feland had ordered his men to make no advances against Sandino and only to fire on the enemy if they should be attacked. Sandino apparently considered this course of the Americans as a sign of weakness; preached Communism, Mexican brotherly love and cooperation, and death to the Americans, until the rabble of the whole north country joined him in his plan to massacre Americans there and to set up his own government at Ciudad Sandino, the name to which El Jicaro the capital of the department had been changed by him. He has met with complete disaster and while some persons think [he will] collect as much cash as possible [Page 442] and leave for Honduras or return to Mexico it is quite possible that in his fanaticism he will continue his outlawry though quite unlikely on any large scale any time soon.
Throughout the whole affair the forebearance and self-restraint exercised by our troops under most exasperating provocation should call for nothing but commendation from all good Americans just as their magnificent stand against such heavy odds in the actual fight should fill any American with pride.