814.00/9–2644
The Acting Director of the Office of American Republic Affairs (Armour) to the Ambassador in Guatemala (Long)
Dear Boaz: I have received your very interesting letter of September 26, 194423 with regard to the political situation in Guatemala. I do not believe that we could tell the provisional régime that we would [Page 1140] refuse to recognize it should it continue itself in office. We would be without any basis for such action since the abrogation of the 1923 treaty;24 and it would constitute, I feel, intervention of the most direct sort. I furthermore fear that such a warning might be ineffective; and in any case, we could hardly follow it up with effective action should the admonition be ignored.
On the other hand, a number of us in the Department are deeply concerned at political developments in Guatemala and elsewhere in Latin America. This problem of support for democratic processes is not an easy one and was discussed at some length in the staff meeting this morning. The idea was advanced that we might have President Roosevelt or the Secretary include in an early address a statement more or less along the following lines: “We wish to cultivate friendly relations with every government in the world and do not feel ourselves entitled to dictate to any country what form of government best suits its national aspirations. We nevertheless must naturally feel a greater affinity, a deeper sympathy and a warmer friendship for governments which effectively represent the practical application of democratic processes.”
This would take quite some drafting in order to fit it into a speech on high policy without hurting the sensibilities of countries outside the hemisphere. It might also present certain problems within the hemisphere. I nevertheless feel that a statement along the above lines if made by the President or the Secretary would represent the feeling of this Government and of the American people. Another possibility is an instruction to our missions in the other American Republics in the above sense. Whatever the mode of communication, you may take it that the above statement represents the thinking of the Department; and you are authorized so to state in your private conversations.
Very sincerely yours,
- Not printed; in this letter Ambassador Long reported certain indications of an effort on the part of the Ponce administration to perpetuate itself in office. He suggested the possible value of a discreet word on the subject as an encouragement to an election in December as originally scheduled. (814.00/9–2644)↩
- Treaty of peace and amity between the Central American Republics, signed February 7, 1923, Conference on Central American Affairs, Washington, December 4, 1922–February 7, 1923 (Washington, Government Printing Office, 1923), p. 287. For information concerning abrogation and modification of this treaty, see Green H. Hackworth, Digest of International Law, vol. i, pp. 190–192.↩