713.1311/117
The Minister in Costa Rica (Eberhardt) to the Secretary of
State
No. 1194
San José
, November 15,
1932.
[Received November 21.]
Sir: For the information of the Department, I
have the honor to transmit herewith two self-explanatory memoranda which
refer to the subject of my telegram No. 70 of November 15, 2 p.m.
(1932).
Respectfully yours,
[Enclosure 1]
Memorandum by the Minister in Costa Rica
(Eberhardt)
San José
, November 12,
1932.
This morning, at the close of one of my regular visits to the Foreign
Office, Minister Pacheco
insisted on bringing up the subject very dear to his heart—that of
the Central American Pacts of 1923 and the relations [Page 333] of the other co-signers thereof with
the present régime in El Salvador. He appears to have been prompted
to take up this subject again by the almost unanimously favorable
reception which had been accorded, not only in Costa Rica but also
throughout Central America, to the recent publication in the local
press of President Jiménez’
statement concerning his proposal to enter Costa Rica’s denunciation
of the Treaty of Peace and Amity.
Minister Pacheco, admitting
that it was largely a matter of personal ambition, stated that he
was formulating plans to proceed to Guatemala within the next week
or two to take up with General
Ubico the question of calling a conference of the
co-signers of the Treaty for the purpose of forthwith denouncing the
Treaty and recognizing the Martínez régime. His reason for wishing to proceed
first to Guatemala appears to be because of President Ubico’s reported attitude on this
subject. He felt that the Guatemalan President will be the most
difficult of any of the Chief Executives in Central America to
induce to either call such a conference or to take part in it. His
plan would be to keep the present Treaty in force, if possible,
after eliminating Articles II and V, and amending Article IV to read
in substance that emigrados from neighboring
countries, in case of strained relations, should be compelled to
retire 50 miles from the frontier.
Dr. Pacheco did not, in this
case, ask my opinion or what I thought the State Department’s
attitude might be. It was a mere narration of his opinion.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[Enclosure 2]
Memorandum by the Minister in Costa Rica
(Eberhardt)
San José
, November 15,
1932.
Today I called at the Presidential residence to inquire about the
health of the wife of the President who had just returned by
airplane from Panama where she had gone some two weeks ago for
special treatment.
As I was leaving, President Jiménez brought up the subject of the 1923 Treaty of
Peace and Amity and the favorable reception which had been accorded
the article which was published in La Tribuna
on November 9th. He went on to say that, where at the beginning of
his administration he refused to give even a thought to the possible
denunciation of the Treaty, the continued pressure which had been
brought to bear on him by prominent individuals in all the other
countries who were co-signers of the Treaty had led him to believe
[Page 334] that, working jointly,
some such denunciation of the Treaty as well as the immediate
recognition of the Martínez
régime in El Salvador might legally be effected. He further stated
that Minister Pacheco is
endeavoring to secure his (the President’s) permission to make a
trip to Guatemala within the next few days where he would inaugurate
plans for calling a conference of these countries toward this end.
He added that, while he was not at all unfavorably inclined toward
this plan, he had not yet made up his mind whether or not to fall in
with the plan, but that it was both possible and likely that he
would. He concluded his statement with the remark that in case he
decided to take any such action, I would be immediately advised.
