817.24/169

The Acting Chief of the Division of Latin American Affairs (Morgan) to the Secretary of State

Dear Mr. Secretary: Mr. Tillinghast, of the National Bank of Nicaragua, called Mr. Morgan on the telephone from New York to say that the National Bank had received a telegram from President Diaz asking the Bank to act as agent for the Nicaraguan Government for the purchase of one thousand Springfield rifles and five hundred thousand rounds of ammunition and fifty Browning machine guns with one hundred thousand rounds of ammunition.

Mr. Tillinghast asked Mr. Morgan whether the State Department would issue licenses for the export of this war material if it were purchased by the Bank of Nicaragua for the Nicaraguan Government.

The Department received on January 3, a note from the Nicaraguan Legation in Washington51 requesting that a license be granted for the export of one hundred airplane bombs, three thousand rifles and five hundred thousand rounds of ammunition. I believe that the [Page 454] rifles and ammunition referred to by the Nicaraguan Government are identical with the munitions to be purchased by the Bank of Nicaragua.

Stokeley W. Morgan
  1. Not printed.