123 Daniels, Paul C.

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Chief of the Division of Central America and Panama Affairs (Newbegin)

confidential

I called on Ambassador Cáceres this morning to inform him for his personal and confidential information that Ambassador Daniels, after his return to Washington from Honduras, would not go back to Honduras again as Ambassador, in as much as he was being appointed Director of the Office of American Republic Affairs13.… I told him that no selection had been made as yet and that several months may [Page 742] well elapse before a new ambassador reached Tegucigalpa. Ambassador Cáceres expressed his satisfaction that a new ambassador would be sent and emphasized that any failure to do so would inevitably be misunderstood. He likewise emphasized that it was particularly desirable to have an American Ambassador in Tegucigalpa during the pre-election period14 in order that he might give stability and see for himself the efforts being made to have an entirely free election. He then digressed on the local political situation stating that Carías and the National party had the support of a minimum of 80 percent of the people. He asserted that the so-called white-collar group was opposed to him but actually that had no particular importance and received no support whatsoever from the great illiterate masses.

The Ambassador then referred to previous conversations with Mr. Braden and Mr. Briggs,15 particularly one with the latter16 when he had been told quite frankly that this Government was indisposed to cooperate in a military way with Honduras since it had a regime which did not permit periodic free elections. He said that he had found this conversation very disturbing and that there were various remarks which he might have made at that time but which he refrained from making in order to continue friendly relations. He added further that he had not been able to inform his government in writing of this conversation with Mr. Briggs because of its delicate nature. He had however discussed it during his recent visit to Tegucigalpa when President Carías had asked whether the policy enunciated by Briggs was still in effect now that Briggs had proceeded to Montevideo.17 The Ambassador said he had informed his Government that he felt that that policy was largely in the discard and that he thought it was primarily the policy of Mr. Braden and Mr. Briggs rather than the continuing policy of the Department of State. I told the Ambassador that was not quite correct, that we still had a warmer feeling for those governments which were periodically and freely elected than for those that adopted a policy of continuismo without adequate opportunity for popular [Page 743] expression, that there was perhaps a difference in approach but that our outlook remained very much the same.18

R[obert] N[ewbegin]
  1. Ambassador Daniels returned to the Department on November 13 and was appointed Director of the Office of American Republic Affairs on that date.
  2. The Presidential election was scheduled for October 1, 1948.
  3. Spruille Braden, Assistant Secretary of State, and Ellis O. Briggs, Director of the Office of American Republic Affairs.
  4. For memorandum of conversation of December 26, 1946, see Foreign Relations, 1946, vol. xi, p. 966.
  5. Mr. Briggs was appointed Ambassador to Uruguay on July 3, 1947.
  6. For statement of the Department’s policy, placing all American Republics on the same basis with respect to the procurement in the United States of arms, ammunition, and implements of war, subject to certain criteria, see enclosure to letter of August 22, 1947, from the Acting Secretary of State to the Secretary of the Army (Royall), p. 120.

    Mr. J. Harold Darby, of the Munitions Division (Licensing Section), indicated in a memorandum of telephone conversation of November 24, 1947, that Mr. Gordon S. Reid, of the Division of Central America and Panama Affairs, had informed him on that day that in view of the elections to be held in Honduras on October 1, 1948, a strict policy would be followed with regard to all requests for any shipments of munitions materials to that country for the six-month period preceding the election date; therefore, after April 1, 1948, it was likely that applications for export licenses would not be considered favorably during that time. (815.24/11–2447)