817.1051/702
The Minister in Nicaragua (
Hanna
) to the Secretary of State
No. 959
Managua
, November 7,
1932.
[Received November 14.]
Sir: Supplementing my despatch No. 949 of
October 28, 1932, relative to a plan for the selection of Nicaraguan
officers for the Guardia Nacional, I have the honor to transmit herewith
a letter I have addressed to Major General Calvin B. Matthews, Jefe Director of the Guardia
Nacional, advising him concerning the negotiations with the candidates
of the two political parties for the Presidency and Vice Presidency
which terminated in the signing of an agreement to preserve the
non-partisan character of the Guardia Nacional during the next
Presidential period.
This agreement is the outcome of a suggestion made by President Moncada in a letter he addressed to me
on September 16, 1932, which was transmitted to the Department in my
telegram No. 176 of September 16, 1932, and received the Department’s
concurrence as set forth in the Department’s telegram No. 95 of
September 19, 1932.
I am transmitting herewith a copy and translation of the agreement as it
was signed in my presence at 8 p.m. November 5, 1932, on the eve of the
Presidential elections. don Adolfo
Diaz was en route to Managua from the United States and
did not arrive until the following day. General Chamorro stated that he had Señor
Diaz’ authority to represent
him in the matter and that Señor Diaz would add his signature after his arrival here.
Respectfully yours,
[Page 882]
[Enclosure 1]
The American Minister (
Hanna
) to the Jefe Director
of the Guardia Nacional de Nicaragua (
Matthews
)
Managua
, November 7,
1932.
My Dear General
Matthews
: With reference to your letter of
October 22, 1932,60 with which you enclosed copies of
identical letters addressed by you to Doctor Juan B. Sacasa and General
Emiliano Chamorro relative
to carrying out the plan agreed upon between the Government of the
United States and the Government of Nicaragua for the transfer of
the Guardia Nacional to Nicaraguan control, I have the honor to
inform you that an agreement to maintain the non-partisan character
of the Guardia Nacional throughout the next Presidential term was
signed in my presence on November 5 by those candidates of the two
political parties for the Presidency and Vice Presidency who were at
that time present in Managua.
On November 3, 1932, I addressed identical letters to Doctor
Juan B. Sacasa,
Presidential candidate of the Liberal party, and to General
Emiliano Chamorro, Vice
Presidential candidate of the Conservative party, in which I set
forth my interpretation of the purpose and scope of the proposed
agreement between them “to strictly preserve the non-political
character of the Guardia during the period in which one or the other
of the candidates shall be President of Nicaragua”. I also submitted
for their consideration a draft of an agreement intended to
accomplish the purpose in view. A copy of the letter is transmitted
herewith.
General Chamorro replied by
letter on November 3 in which he stated the following:
“Estoy en un todo de acuerdo con el plan trazado, así como en
el proyecto de compromiso aludido; y es particularmente
grato para mí poder comunicar a S. E. que estoy en
disposición de suscribir el dicho compromiso y tener la
conferencia que S. E. desea con el Doctor Juan B. Sacasa, cuando S.
E. tenga a bien participarme que ha llegado la hora para
efectuarla”.61
Doctor Sacasa called on me and
expressed his strong desire that the successful Presidential
candidate should be free to assign officers to the higher grades in
the Guardia Nacional irrespective of their [Page 883] party affiliations. I pointed out that what he
proposed would impair in large measure the non-partisan character of
the Guardia.
I subsequently laid the matter before the Minister for Foreign
Affairs, General Anastasio
Somoza, with the request that he advise President
Moncada of the proposed
agreement and the views of General Chamorro and Doctor Sacasa. General Somoza called on me shortly thereafter and stated
that President Moncada was in
accord with the proposed agreement in general but suggested that
provision be added thereto specifying that the Jefe Director of the
Guardia Nacional should have the authority to select the personnel
of the Estado Mayor from officers of whatever grade or grades he
might deem appropriate without taking into consideration the
political affiliations of the officers so selected. I told General
Somoza that in my opinion
the privilege of the Commander of the Military Forces to select his
staff should not be questioned and that I was in accord in general
with the President’s suggestion. Accordingly, the following
additional paragraph was added to the agreement:
The Commanding General of the Republic, in agreement with the
Jefe Director de la Guardia Nacional, shall select the
personnel of the Estado Mayor from officers of whatever
grade or grades they deem appropriate.
When this additional paragraph was subsequently submitted to General
Chamorro he expressed a
desire that the personnel constituting the General Staff be
specified. He expressed this desire in the presence of Doctor
Sacasa and Doctor
Espinosa, the Vice
Presidential candidate of the Liberal Party, at a conference with me
in the Legation on the evening of November 5, at which General
Somoza was also present in
his capacity as Minister for Foreign Affairs in representation of
President Moncada.
It was agreed among us that the point raised by Chamorro should be clarified in a
letter that I would address to Doctor Sacasa and General Chamorro. A copy of that letter, dated November 5,
is transmitted herewith.
I stated to the candidates that my letters to them of November 3,
1932, and November 5, 1932, to both of which reference is made
above, should be considered as documents clarifying the intent and
scope of the agreement. General Chamorro assented thereto and, in reply to his
inquiry addressed to Doctor Sacasa, the latter also expressed his assent.
The agreement was then signed in my presence, with the understanding
that the signature of don Adolfo
Diaz would be obtained [Page 884] after his return to Managua from the United
States. A copy of the agreement is transmitted herewith.
I am [etc.]
Sincerely yours,
[Subenclosure 1]
The American Minister (
Hanna
) to the Nicaraguan
Conservative Candidate for the Vice Presidency (
Chamorro
)
Managua
, November 3,
1932.
My Dear General Chamorro
: In a letter that Major General
C. B. Matthews, Jefe
Director de la Guardia Nacional, addressed to you on October 20,
1932,62 you were advised that a plan for transferring
the Guardia Nacional to complete Nicaraguan control had received the
approval of the Government of Nicaragua and the Government of the
United States, and that the principal features of the plan were the
following:
- (a)
- Each of the Presidential candidates of the two historical
parties in Nicaragua will be requested to present
immediately a list of names acceptable to such candidate
from which may be selected the Nicaraguan officers who are
to replace the American officers now serving in the Guardia.
The list of names thus presented by each candidate shall be
composed equally of members of both political
parties.
- (b)
- The two Presidential candidates will be requested to sign
an agreement in the presence of the American Minister in
which they pledge themselves respectively to preserve
strictly the non-partisan character of the Guardia during
the period that one or the other of the candidates is
President of Nicaragua.
- (c)
- His Excellency, President Moncada will be requested, immediately after
the Presidential election has been decided, to appoint to
the higher commands in the Guardia the persons on the list
of the successful candidate.
- (d)
- The Nicaraguan officers thus appointed will work alongside
the American officers until January 2 when their
appointments will be made permanent by the newly inaugurated
President of the Republic.
I understand that the preparation of the lists of names mentioned in
paragraph (a) above is now nearing
completion, and it would seem that the moment has arrived to decide
upon and sign the agreement mentioned in paragraph (b) above.
The purpose of the agreement as set forth in its broadest terms is
“to strictly preserve the non-political character of the Guardia
during the [Page 885] period in which
one or the other of the candidates shall be President of Nicaragua”.
I interpret the purpose of this agreement to embrace the following
fundamental ideas:
- (1)
- The Guardia Nacional shall be the sole national armed
force of the Government of Nicaragua.
- (2)
- If any increase is made in the Government’s armed forces,
to meet an emergency or for any other purpose, such increase
shall constitute a part of the Guardia Nacional.
- (3)
- The continuance of the Guardia Nacional on a non-partisan
basis makes it imperative that the officers in each grade
(excepting the grade of Jefe Director) shall be equally
divided between members of the two historic political
parties and that the equal division be maintained.
- (4)
- The same equal division between the two political parties
shall be maintained in the enlisted personnel and in the
cadets of the Military Academy.
- (5)
- No commissioned officer or enlisted man of the Guardia or
cadet of the Military Academy shall be dismissed without a
fair and just trial in accordance with Nicaraguan
law.
- (6)
- Any vacancy in the commissioned strength, however created,
shall be filled by the appointment of an officer selected
from the same political party as that to which the officer
creating the vacancy belong at the time such latter officer
was originally commissioned in the Guardia Nacional thus
maintaining the equal division between the two political
parties of the officers in each grade. The appointments to
the National Military Academy shall be equally divided
between the two political parties, and the instructors
assigned to the National Military Academy shall likewise be
equally divided between the two parties.
The foregoing are not presented as the only measures necessary to
preserve the non-political character of the Guardia, but merely as
some of the essentials by way of setting forth the scope of the
intent of the proposed agreement. I am of the opinion that the
complete purpose we have in view may be better attained by making
the agreement comprehensive but general in character rather than by
endeavoring to specify therein the detailed procedure to be followed
to preserve the non-political character of the Guardia in every
possible situation which may arise. I therefore submit for your
consideration the following as a draft of such general agreement:
The Guardia Nacional de Nicaragua shall be the sole national
armed force of the Government of Nicaragua. Any increase
made in the Government’s armed forces to meet an emergency
or for any other purpose shall constitute a part of the
Guardia Nacional.
The non-partisan character of the Guardia Nacional shall be
strictly maintained in the enlisted personnel, the cadets of
the Military Academy, and in each grade of commissioned
officers, except [Page 886]
the grade of Jefe Director, and vacancies shall be filled so
as to maintain this non-partisan character.
Political considerations in conflict with the non-partisan
character of the Guardia shall be wholly eliminated from all
decisions affecting the promotion and dismissal of
commissioned officers, cadets, and enlisted men, the
selections to fill vacancies in the commissioned and
enlisted strength, the discipline and command, and from all
other decisions in connection with the administration of the
Guardia.
I have submitted an identical letter to Doctor Juan B. Sacasa for his
consideration. I will be pleased to confer with you both at any time
to the end that we may arrive at a mutually satisfactory
agreement.
I am [etc.]
[Subenclosure 2]
The American Minister (
Hanna
) to the Nicaraguan
Liberal Candidate for the Presidency (
Sacasa
)63
Managua
, November 5,
1932.
My Dear Doctor Sacasa
: Supplementing my letter of the
third instant64 concerning a plan for transferring the Guardia Nacional to
complete Nicaraguan control, I desire to confirm my complete accord
with the suggestion that the following paragraph be added to the
proposed draft agreement set forth on page 4 of my letter in
reference:
The Commanding General of the Republic, in agreement with the
Jefe Director de la Guardia Nacional, shall select the
personnel of the Estado Mayor from officers of whatever
grade or grades they deem appropriate.
It is my understanding that the Estado Mayor shall be selected from
the officers of the Guardia without altering the non-partisan
character of each grade, and shall embrace only those serving as the
heads of Bureaus at the Headquarters of the Guardia who, at the
present time, consist of the Chief of Staff, the Intelligence and
Operations Officer, the Quartermaster, the Paymaster, and the Law
Officer. It is also my understanding that the selections thus made
of officers of the Estado Mayor may be freely made without taking
into consideration the previous political affiliation or antecedents
of the officers so selected.
I am [etc.]
[Page 887]
[Enclosure 2—Translation]
Copy of Agreement Signed on November 5, 1932,
Providing for the Maintenance of the Non-Partisan Character of
the Guardia Nacional de Nicaragua
The undersigned candidates to the Presidency and Vice-Presidency of
the Republic of Nicaragua, of the two parties, Liberal and
Conservative, completely convinced that the peace of Nicaragua is a
permanent necessity, to which all good patriots are obligated,
mutually agree to maintain the non-partisan quality of the Guardia
Nacional; and in the same manner they obligate themselves, for the
good of Nicaragua, to respect and sustain the constituted Government
which shall result from the elections of November 6, 1932, during
the presidential period from January 1, 1933, to December 31, 1936;
and in effect agree to the following:
- 1.
- The Guardia Nacional of Nicaragua shall be the sole armed
force of the Government of the Republic. Any increase made
in the Government’s armed forces, to meet an emergency or
for any other purpose, shall constitute an integral part of
the Guardia Nacional.
- 2.
- The non-partisan character of the Guardia Nacional shall
be strictly maintained in the enlisted personnel, the cadets
of the Military Academy, and in each grade of commissioned
officers, except the grade of Jefe Director, and all
vacancies shall be filled so as to maintain this
non-partisan character.
- 3.
- The Commanding General of the Republic, in agreement with
the Jefe Director de la Guardia Nacional, shall select the
personnel of the Estado Mayor from officers of whatever
grade or grades they deem appropriate.
- 4.
- Political considerations in conflict with the non-partisan
character of the Guardia shall be wholly eliminated from all
decisions affecting the promotion and dismissal of
commissioned officers, cadets, and enlisted men, the
selections to fill vacancies in the commissioned and
enlisted strength, the discipline and command, and from all
other decisions in connection with the administration of the
Guardia.
In Witness Whereof, and in the presence of
His Excellency Matthew E.
Hanna, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister
Plenipotentiary of the United States of America in Nicaragua, we
sign five identical copies in the city of Managua, National
District, on the fifth day of November, 1932.
Adolfo Diaz
Candidate to the Presidency of the Conservative
Party
Emiliano Chamorro
Candidate to the Vice-Presidency of the
Conservative Party
Juan B. Sacasa
Candidate to the Presidency of the Liberal
Nationalist Party
Rod. Espinosa R.
Candidate to the Vice-Presidency of the Liberal
Nationalist Party
[Page 888] Before me
Matthew E. Hanna
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
of the United States of America in Nicaragua
Seal of the American Legation, Managua
