Office of the Historian

123 Patterson, Richard C.: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Embassy in Guatemala

top secret   niact
Washington, March 25, 1950—12 noon.1

75. For eyes of Ambassador only. Guatemalan Ambassador here has informally advised Department on instructions from his Government that your life is considered to be in danger. Ambassador could supply no details.

Department officially requested Ambassador inform his Government US expects adequate and effective measures will be taken immediately for your protection.

Department will inform you concerning rest of conversation after your arrival in Washington.2

Please cancel arrangements for your speech scheduled for March 29 (Your despatch 356 March 223). You may wish give as reason necessity of advancing date of planned departure for US in order receive medical treatment. Guatemalan Ambassador here informed you already had authorization proceed to Washington in accordance with previous plan.

[Page 870]

Since yon have planned come to US shortly after March 29 (urtel 103 March 22)4 you should depart5 as soon as convenient and in any event before March 31 which is viernes de Dolores.6 Formal authorization for your travel will be issued as soon as possible but you need not await their receipt.

You will appreciate delicacy this matter and importance of preventing publicity.7

  1. A marginal notation indicates that this telegram was drafted on March 24 by Thomas C. Mann, Director of the Office of Middle American Affairs.↩
  2. No memorandum of the conversation mentioned has been found in Department of State files. Certain information concerning it is included in the extracts from, the Department’s press conference of April 6, 1950, and in the enclosure to the memorandum of May 29, 1950, by William J. McWilliams, Director of the Executive Secretariat, pp. 877 and 897, respectively.↩
  3. Not printed.↩
  4. This telegram reads: “Request permission visit US for 10 days after Rotary Club speech March 29 for treatment amoebic dysentery.” (123 Patterson, Richard C.)↩
  5. “Should depart” replaced “may consider desirability departing” in the final draft.↩
  6. The Feast of the Seven Sorrows, a Roman Catholic holy day which falls on the Friday before Palm Sunday. This was a traditional time for university students to “spoof” authorities and sometimes led to “roughhousing”.↩

  7. In telegram 110 from Guatemala City, March 26, the Ambassador stated:

    “In absence details, my own feeling story about alleged danger my life is crude attempt at intimidation, or has other ulterior motives (Deptel 75 March 25). If real threat exists, seems strange Guatemalan authorities have not advised me and taken special measures my protection. No additional police guards provided even after Wells made specific request therefor last evening of Sub-Secretary Foreign Office and Chief Protocol. However, unless Department reconsiders matter I shall follow instructions and depart March 28th or 29th.” (123 Patterson, Richard C.)

    Ambassador Patterson left for the United States on March 28.

    ↩