Office of the Historian

718.00/8–653

Memorandum by the Officer in Charge of Central America and Panama Affairs (Leddy) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Cabot)

confidential
[Washington,] August 6, 1953.

Subject:

  • Costa Rican Elections: Action Required by ARA
1.
The presidential and congressional elections held in Costa Rica on July 26, 1953, were marked by orderliness, calm, and high voter participation. Women voted for the first time in Costa Rica, apparently about evenly divided between the two candidates. The Embassy reported the elections as “an example of democratic education rarely seen in Latin America or elsewhere and a tribute to the country’s history and to President Ulate who maintained the highest degree of neutrality”.
2.
The elections resulted in an overwhelming victory for José Figueres and his National Liberation Party. Figueres was elected President by 121,108 votes against Castro’s1 65,625 votes, 65% of the ballots cast. The National Liberation Party elected 30 of the 45 Deputies to Congress, against 11 for Castro’s Democratic Party, 1 for National Union and 3 for National Independent Republicans. The opposition to Figueres is decimated and demoralized. Apart from Castro’s overwhelming defeat, note must also be taken of the crash of Mario Echandi who joined forces with Castro but was able to elect only one deputy for his National Union Party.
3.
On a plebiscite to change the Constitution, allowing an ex-President to be a candidate again after the lapse of one instead of two terms, the amendment was adopted by a vote of 110,049 to 47,230, or 70% of the ballots cast. This amendment is important, in that it opens the way for President Ulate to run again in 1958 instead of 1962.
4.
The resounding victory of José Figueres enables him already to boast of the “mandate of the people”. His sweeping control of the Congress will assure him a free hand to push through his own legislative program, prominent among which will probably be measures affecting the United Fruit Company, and the American and Foreign Power Company, the two leading American investments in Costa Rica.
Among many reasons for Figueres’ victory are his vigorous two-year grass roots campaign and his appeal to the masses in promises of a [Page 828] better life; and the colorless, conservative character of Castro, handicapped by the taint of the “Calderonistas”,2 and standing on a negative platform of “anti-Figuerismo”.
5.
Figueres’ triumph has been publicly applauded by the Guatemalan Foreign Minister3 and privately deplored by Somoza.4 No reaction from Honduras, El Salvador, and Panama has come to notice, but all three governments are (in an ascending scale) apprehensive of Figueres as a “stirrer-up of trouble” in Central America.
6.
Predictions of Figueres’ defeat or narrow victory having proven false, the net result is a striking advance for leftist liberalism in Central America, with its well-known implications on relations with the dictator countries, Caribbean stability, and large American investments. Whether it will mean Communist progress remains to be seen; Figueres’ party led the successful movement to outlaw the disguised Communist Party in Costa Rica and, for whatever motives of political expediency or political sincerity, proclaims an anti-Communist platform. The Communists supported the conservative Castro in the campaign.
7.
Figueres has already taken steps to reassure our Ambassador that he is anti-Communist and citing as proof his move to outlaw the Communist Party, both in 1948 and 1953, and the label of “Yankee agent” put on him by the Communist press of Guatemala. He repeated that he is pro-U.S., and says there is no reason why he cannot be anti-United Fruit Company on its contracts in Costa Rica and friendly to the American Government and people at the same time.
8.
The inauguration of Figueres as President will take place on Novernber 8, 1953, one week after Panama’s Fiftieth Anniversary of Independence. Since this date is approximately three months away, we should give immediate consideration and prompt action to the following:

Nomination of American Ambassador to Costa Rica.5 Assignment of well qualified FSO as Deputy Chief of Mission (to arrive about october).

Organization of delegation to inauguration. (Perhaps some of delegation to Panama can attend Costa Rica’s inauguration.)6

It is suggested that these points be reviewed as soon as possible and MID/P will be glad to have the opportunity to discuss them with you.

  1. Fernando Castro Cervantes.↩
  2. Reference is to the political followers of Rafael Angel Calderón Guardia, President of Costa Rica, 1940–1944.↩
  3. Raúl Osegueda.↩
  4. Anastasio Somoza García, President of Nicaragua.↩
  5. Ambassador Fleming’s mission terminated on Aug. 7, 1953.↩
  6. For information concerning the U.S. Delegation to the inauguration of president Figueres, see Department of state Bulletin, Nov. 2, 1953, p. 586.↩