817.00/8558: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Nicaragua (Long)
109. Rear Admiral Meyers has confirmed that he wrote a letter to General Somoza along the lines mentioned in your personal letter to Duggan, although owing to difficulty of communicating with him, it has not been possible to secure the exact text. You are requested to leave with the Minister for Foreign Affairs the following note at once:
“Under instructions from my Government, I desire to inform Your Excellency that there has been brought to my Government’s attention a letter addressed by Rear Admiral George J. Meyers, Commander [Page 843] of the Special Service Squadron, to General Anastacio Somoza, Chief of the National Guard of Nicaragua, expressing the gratitude of Admiral Meyers for the courtesy shown him by General Somoza on the occasion of his recent visit to Nicaragua.
Although confident that Your Excellency appreciates that this letter represents merely a personal expression of gratitude of Admiral Meyers for the hospitality and attentions tendered him during his visit, nevertheless my Government believes, to its particular regret, that the terms of the letter are such as to permit of the mistaken construction that the Government of the United States is interfering in Nicaraguan internal affairs.
Inasmuch as no authority has been delegated to Admiral Meyers to speak for the Government of the United States, no official importance may be attributed to this letter. As you know, the Government of the United States is pledged to a policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. This policy has repeatedly been made clear by official statements of the President of the United States, and of the Secretary of State. As you know also, this policy has been scrupulously adhered to in the case of Nicaragua. In keeping with it my Government desires me to reiterate that it has not, and will not, endeavor to influence in any way the course of political developments in Nicaragua, and to state that the contents of Admiral Meyers’ letter, insofar as they appear to constitute an endorsement of a presidential candidate in Nicaragua, are disavowed.”
No publicity should be given to this note without prior consultation with the Department.