817.48 Earthquake of 1931/122: Telegram
The Minister in Nicaragua (Hanna) to the Secretary of State
[Received 4:37 p.m.]
10. In reply to messages received from several of our legations in Central America I have sent the following telegram to our legations in Central America and Panama:
“13th, 9 p.m. It has come to my attention that reports have been broadly circulated to the effect that many persons have been killed here for looting after the recent earthquake. Such reports are grossly [Page 800] exaggerated. I informed the Department on April 6th9 that one looter had been killed and one wounded by the Guardia National, that investigations showed that action in both instances was justified and that no persons had been killed or injured by Marines. Subsequent investigations have confirmed the foregoing and there have been no additional casualties of this nature.
It should be pointed out to the everlasting credit of the inhabitants of Managua that there was nothing approaching wholesale looting but that on the contrary the entire population of the city cooperated in so far as it could in the work of relief. Stringent measures naturally were taken by those in authority to prevent looting but it was necessary to enforce them only in the two instances mentioned.
The absence of looting considering the exceptional opportunity which the circumstances afforded is a tribute in the first place to the residents of Managua and in the second place to the wise measures adopted by the military authorities and the temperate manner in which they were enforced.
I will be pleased if you will make such use of the foregoing as you may deem appropriate.”
- Telegram not printed.↩