817.011/104: Telegram
The Minister in Nicaragua (Hanna) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 7—1:50 a.m.]
72. President Moncada held a conference on May 4 at country home with some forty Liberal senators and deputies at which he sought approval of his plan for a total reform of the Constitution by the constitution [calling?] of a Constituent Assembly this year. He referred to the Department’s statement that the United States is not prepared to supervise the November elections in the event Nicaragua decides to convoke a Constituent Assembly and said that the opportunity was thus presented to bring about the immediate withdrawal of American armed forces in Nicaragua. He appealed to the patriotism of those present to restore in this manner the complete liberty and sovereignty of Nicaragua. The way was prepared for his utterance by previous speakers who pointed out that a lack of appropriations in their opinion to defray the expenses of the electoral mission would prevent the supervision of the elections. This information has just been given to me by an entirely reliable Nicaraguan who obtained it from one of those present.
General Chamorro had a conference with President Moncada a few days ago at the invitation of the latter in the course of which the President asked General Chamorro’s support for the total reform project intimating that this would result in the withdrawal of the [Page 785] marines and proposing cooperation between himself and General Chamorro to pacify the country thereafter. General Chamorro refused this cooperation.…
All the indications are that it is not possible to get the necessary majority in Congress for the total reform project. I have been assured by the leaders of the Conservative Party that the project will not have that party’s support.
Both my informants referred to above stated that President Moncada expressed his intention of having Congress take a recess until July at which time presumably he might desire its presence to assist him in his electoral plans. In this connection I have heard that he favors legalizing the above mentioned changes in the electoral law by congressional act instead of by Presidential decree as heretofore. The indications are that he is content to allow the fight in his party to continue unless it can be terminated on his own terms.