Office of the Historian

817.51/4–246: Airgram

The Ambassador in Nicaragua (Warren) to the Secretary of State

confidential
Managua, April 2, 1946.
[Received April 5—9:10 a.m.]

A–115. Reference is made to the Department’s Airgram A–58 of March 5, 1946, concerning Nicaragua’s arrears in the amount of $86,063.38 in payment of its Export-Import Bank loan. I had a good opportunity to discuss the matter with President Somoza at El Genizaro.33

I allowed the President to read Airgram No. A–58. He said:

(1)
That he and Ambassador Sevilla Sacasa are not trying to link the Export-Import Bank loan to the Pan-American Highway accounts.
(2)
That he only wants Washington to wait a bit until settlement of the Highway accounts is accomplished in the hope that Nicaragua will then be in a better position to meet the obligation.
(3)
That because the audit of the Pan-American Highway accounts had proceeded slowly, he had had to use the money set aside for payment of the Export-Import Bank loan to finance the highway expenditures.

Warren
  1. The President’s country home.↩