740.18112A/23

The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Costa Rica (Trueblood)

No. 321

The Secretary of State refers to the Embassy’s despatch no. 608 of September 27, 1943, concerning procedures and policies with regard to the maintenance of the Proclaimed List in Costa Rica and requesting the Department’s views on the desirability of the plan proposed by the Embassy.

The Department concurs in general with the views expressed by the Embassy in this despatch, particularly with regard to the desirability of maintaining the Proclaimed List in Costa Rica as an instrument of control. With regard to the policy to be followed in [Page 123] recommending deletions from the List, the Department has the following comments to make:

In the case of the deletions of names included for cloaking activities, the following criteria are suggested:

(1)
The importance of the amount involved in the cloaking transaction as contrasted to the size of the business or assets of the person listed;
(2)
Whether the transaction was entered into with knowledge of the possible consequences, or through ignorance or poor judgment;
(3)
In instances of repeated cloaking activities, the length of time covered by the cloaking transactions and whether the person was warned by the Embassy before listing;
(4)
The political sympathies of the person and the attitude evinced by him toward the United States;
(5)
Whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that these cloaking activities would not be repeated subsequent to deletion.

With regard to persons listed because of their political beliefs or activities, it is not felt that deletions should be recommended unless there are reasonable grounds to believe that the sympathies of the person involved have actually undergone a change and that the professions of pro-Allied beliefs are not made for expediency. It is felt that the controlling factor should not be the lack of publicity given to their pro-Axis sentiments or affiliations, but rather the presence of a genuine change of sympathy, the severance of all Axis affiliations, and the belief by the Embassy that the persons involved will not in the future engage in inimical activities or the dissemination of Nazi doctrines.

Recommendations for deletion should, as stated by the Embassy, be considered individually in order that any curtailment of the List resulting therefrom may be on a gradual basis. The Officer in Charge is requested to report to the Department concerning any effect the published deletions may have on Costa Rican public opinion.