816.01 Caffery Mission/8: Telegram
The Minister in El Salvador (Curtis) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 24—1:08 a.m.]
124. From Jefferson Caffery. Refer to Legation’s 123, December 22, 5 p.m., last two sentences.
Rodolfo Duke33 told me that the Mexican Minister here has encouraged the military to believe that it should not permit the United States to have any say as to whether or not Martínez remains President. I do not desire the American Embassy in Mexico to take any action on this at present. General Castaneda is the only man now in sight whom the military might accept in place of Martínez. (General Castaneda would also be entirely acceptable to the business and other civilian elements.) He is now Minister of Government, and at the time of the revolution held the rank of brigadier general and was commander at the military school. (There are some 30 generals of division above him.) Just previous to the last Presidential election he was purposely removed from a high military command he held as general in command of one of the important regions of the country and given this relatively unimportant post. I was informed that when ordered to bring his cadets to the Zapote Barracks he refused until two rounds of machine-gun shots were fired at the school.
It would appear, however, that since he now holds a Cabinet office he is debarred from being recognized by the words “or the election” at the end of clause 2 of article 2 of the treaty. If it is the feeling of the Department that my interpretation is wrong and that he could be recognized, please send me instructions as early as possible. It is reported that Martínez and Castaneda now control the situation and that the former is getting stronger every day. Not only has the Military Directorate been dissolved but the young officers have been scattered about the country by Martínez. Incidentally Martínez holds that he dissolved the Directorate because he had been led to believe that if it were dissolved, recognition would follow.
Martínez said that he was willing to deposit the Presidential power in the hands of a new First Designate for some specified period of time. (Under the constitution of El Salvador he could, of course, do this as he is actually President according to their law.) I assume, however, that the Department might construe this to be an implied objectionable bargain. [Caffery.]
- Manager of the Banco Agricola Comercial.↩