817.1051/256: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Nicaragua ( Eberhardt )
29. This is to supplement the Department’s telegram No. 26 of February 14, 6 p.m.
The Department must insist, in view of your telegram No. 48 of February 14, 3 p.m., that the second proposed amendment to article 2 shall not be made and the agreement shall continue to provide, as drafted, that the guardia “shall be subject only to the direction of the President of Nicaragua”. Your telegram under acknowledgment would seem to indicate that these changes come from President Moncada himself. It is desired that you explain very carefully to President Moncada that the Department will look to him for the handling of this situation and you will also make it clear that a non-partisan guardia is provided for in the Stimson Agreement and that any attempt to make the guardia a partisan organization is a direct violation of that agreement; that if it is persisted in this Government will be obliged to consider very carefully withdrawing not only the marine officers who are in the guardia but all of the marines as well. Please point out to him the dissatisfaction existing among the American officers in Nicaragua, which has been caused by the many recent interferences in the conduct of that organization, as described in the last paragraph of your telegram referred to, and state that if this dissatisfaction continues it will inevitably mean the disruption of the guardia, and that should it continue this Government would naturally not feel like insisting that its officers remain in Nicaragua.
You will please point out to President Moncada very frankly that the future peace, order, and prosperity of Nicaragua is involved in this matter and that if he persists in his present attitude toward the guardia, he will make himself responsible for the disorder and turbulence which is bound to follow.
By laying the situation frankly and forcibly before the President, the Department feels that it has discharged its duties in the matter; and if President Moncada decides to hamper and turn the guardia into a partisan organization, after having been thus fully advised [Page 618] of the consequences which this Government feels must inevitably follow, he alone will have to shoulder the responsibility. If this Government should withdraw from the guardia and withdraw its marines at this time, it would be impelled, of course, in fairness to itself, to state publicly and frankly the reasons which have prompted it to do so.
The Department has consulted Admiral Hughes and General Lejeune,52 since sending its telegram No. 26 of February 14, 6 p.m., with respect to the proposed amendments and supports their recommendations that the second amendment to article 1 and the amendments to articles 5 and 7 should not be made.
- Charles F. Hughes, U. S. N., Chief of Naval Operations; John A. Lejeune, U. S. M. C., Commandant of the Marine Corps.↩