815.00/4287
Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of Latin American Affairs (Morgan)
The Guatemalan Minister called to inform me of certain measures which are being taken by the Guatemalan Government to prevent the launching of any revolutionary activities against Honduras from Guatemalan territory. Some parties of armed forces had been sent to patrol the frontier at strategic points and certain well-known Honduran revolutionaries, such as Cisneros, Matute and Velez had been put under police surveillance. (He did not mention General Jeffries.)
I thanked the Minister for the information and told him that the Secretary had recently expressed himself as much pleased and gratified at the manner in which Guatemala was carrying out her treaty obligations to Honduras in taking all possible measures to prevent Guatemalan territory from being used to further revolutionary activities aimed against the Government of Honduras. The Department felt that Guatemala was setting a fine example to the other Central American countries in this regard.
The Minister was much pleased and said he would inform his Government that the Secretary appreciated what Guatemala was doing.
I also told the Minister that if any American citizens should be involved in Honduran revolutionary activities we would have no objection, if the evidence was sufficient and the need was apparent, to their being placed under police surveillance. We did not approve of our own citizens taking part in revolutionary movements.