817.00/6959a
The Secretary of State to the Secretary of the Navy (Adams)
Dear Mr. Secretary: I feel that we should be in a position, after the Presidential elections in Nicaragua in 1932, to withdraw all our Marines from the country, should this Government at that time decide that that is the wise thing to do. It is my understanding that the Navy Department feels that Marines should be maintained in Nicaragua while American officers are serving in the Guardia Nacional of Nicaragua. Therefore, in order that there may be no obstacle [Page 840] to the complete withdrawal of our Marines from Nicaragua after the 1932 elections, I want to ask you to issue instructions to the Commander of the Guardia Nacional to devote special attention to the training up of Nicaraguan officers so that we may be in a position, should that then be the decision of this Government, to turn over the whole Guardia force to Nicaragua upon the installation of the new Government on January 1, 1933. I think it should be impressed upon the Commander of the Guardia that that is the objective to which he should work and should devote his energies.
Yours sincerely,