740.14112A/11–1444
The Ambassador in Guatemala ( Long ) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 18.]
Sir: I have the honor to report recent developments with regard to the expropriation measures of the Guatemalan Government and to our efforts to make any adjustments in the Proclaimed List which might facilitate the placing in effect of these measures.
As the Department has indicated, it was never urged that all persons included in the Proclaimed List would be subject to the expropriation proceedings decreed by the Guatemalan Government, particularly since there were a number of cases which we had been studying for deletion for some time. During the months of the Ponce regime74 we made repeated efforts to indicate to the Guatemalan Government that while we did not wish in any way to discourage them from taking German properties, there were some cases which we would be willing to discuss with a view to deletion if the Government so desired. After a number of discussions with officials, followed by a change in procedure so that the work had to be repeated with someone else, we were actually getting to the point of taking up individual cases when the government was overthrown on October 20, and we had to start at the beginning again.
On November 10, a lengthy discussion was held with Sr. Jorge Toriello of the Junta del Gobierno and the Minister of Foreign Relations,75 the result of which was that they agreed definitely that the properties of spear-head firms and individuals should be expropriated, but that the lists should be reviewed in order that there should not be cases of unnecessarily harsh action affecting bona fide Guatemalan nationals or inoffensive enemy nationals. It was informally stated by the government officials that in their opinion persons deported and repatriated to Germany should lose their property here, and persons who had actively supported the German cause, regardless of nationality should be subject to the effects of the laws, all of which can be taken only as an expression of the present thinking of the Government and not a commitment on their part.
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Respectfully yours,