817.00/8430: Telegram

The Minister in Nicaragua (Long) to the Secretary of State

141. The President informed me last night that Liberal and Conservative negotiators of bi-party agreement met with him from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and succeeded in selecting 12 additional names as provided for in article 5 of the agreement and that letter was then written Somoza informing him of action taken. Instead of sending letter it was carried to Campo Marte by the same negotiators who had been meeting with President. This was done under commitment to discuss names with Somoza before delivering letter and, if he showed any disposition to negotiate further, not to deliver letter but to report back any names he might suggest, thus to ascertain if any person acceptable to Somoza would be admitted to the list by the President. If Somoza proved unwilling negotiate further then bi-party negotiators were to meet and select one of four pre-candidates. President said he wished to talk to me as one Pan Americanist to another and then discussed merits of the four pre-candidates and asked me to express my views and when I declined to do so he was annoyed considerably. He said his query as Dr. Sacasa might be answered by me as Boaz Long. I replied that I really did not know the men well enough to venture a guess but that even if I had formed any opinion, which I had not, it would be impossible for me to express it and be consistent with the policy of my Government. The President then gave me a dissertation about his long and close friendship for the United States, his great desire to finish his term without internal conflict in Nicaragua, and his fear that conflict is now well-nigh inevitable. He stated that only the submissiveness of his officials in permitting themselves to be removed without a fight and to be [Page 824] replaced by Somocistas had prevented ruptures so far. He predicted that the moment would come when some untoward incident would occur and that once civil war had begun the banditry would be terrible. He spoke of former members of Sandinista affiliate activities, of how the Guardia had been temporizing with them, and of the possibility that arms might now come to the east coast, thus leading up to the substance of my telegram No. 138 of May 28.

Word has just reached me that the bi-party negotiators conferred with Somoza until 9 last night, ate together, and then continued their discussion into the night without reaching an agreement. …

During the evening, Somoza mentioned the following named doctors as being persons he might accept: Desiderio Roman of Carazo and Philadelphia; Sequiera of Leon; Ramon Gonzalez of Carazo; Benjamin Vidaurri of Rivas. This morning the bi-party negotiators are bringing these four names to the attention of the President.

Long