710 Conference W & PW/2–1445: Telegram
The Ambassador in Guatemala (Long) to the Secretary of State
[Received February 15—1 a.m.]
108. The Guatemalan Foreign Minister told me today that it is again uncertain that Guatemala will send a delegation to the conference at Mexico City because he heard this morning from the Guatemalan Ambassador in Mexico that the Aguirre government in El Salvador [Page 38] was going to be recognized tomorrow by the majority of the American Republics. He said again that the Guatemalan concern is that if Aguirre is recognized he will not turn over the government to Castañeda.
After some discussion the Minister said that a Guatemalan delegation would attend the conference if the Salvadoran delegation are present only as observers and as representatives of the Salvadoran people and President-elect Castañeda until Castañeda takes office when they would receive full powers. Guatemala would attend under these circumstances even if one or two governments were to recognize Aguirre and even if Aguirre as a technicality commissioned the observers. The Minister said he was telephoning the Guatemalan Ambassador in Washington to try to obtain a clarification of the status of proposed recognition and the status of a proposed delegation from Salvador. He is very anxious to clarify the uncertainty. If Aguirre is recognized, the Minister said arrangements might be made for the Guatemalan Ambassador to Mexico to act as an observer at the conference.
The Minister said that if Guatemala sends a delegation to the conference it will have two or three “initiatives” which he considers it premature to mention now but that he could say it would be the particular desire of the Guatemalan delegation to cooperate in every possible way with the United States delegation and specifically in the Argentine matter.