Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, The American Republics, Volume IV

718.5 MSP/4–2754

Memorandum of Conversation, by John L. Ohmans of the Office of Middle American Affairs¹

confidential

[Washington,] April 27, 1954.

Subject:

• Military Assistance Agreement with Costa Rica

• Participants: Ambassador Antonio A. Facio of Costa Rica;
• Mr. Henry F. Holland, Assistant Secretary, ARA;
• Mr. John L. Ohmans, MID

Ambassador Facio was invited to call on Mr. Holland to receive a note from the Department in reply to the note of the Embassy of Costa Rica of April 16.² The note which Mr. Holland intended to deliver, but did not,³ expressed the inability of the United States Government to enter into negotiations for a military assistance agreement with Costa Rica but indicated that the United States was prepared to sell arms to Costa Rica on a reimbursable basis.

Ambassador Facio’s reaction to the proposed note and statement was immediate and vehement. Upon reading the note, he said this would fall like a bombshell in Costa Rica and that it would be very poorly received and misunderstood by the ordinary people. He took particular exception to the statement which said that a military defense assistance agreement could not properly be undertaken with Costa Rica. Mr. Ohmans attempted to explain to the Ambassador the meaning of that sentence and said that the Joint Chiefs of Staff had certain plans about the defense of the hemisphere and that the size and nature of the military forces in Costa Rica were not of the type which would fit into the plans of the American military planners.

The Ambassador said that he could understand that point of view but he felt that Costa Rica should not be discriminated against and that, if an agreement were negotiated with Nicaragua, the United States should also negotiate a similar agreement with Costa Rica to avoid this discrimination. He said that it was still very urgent that a public statement be made which would indicate the readiness of the Government of the United States to consider the request of the Government of Costa Rica to enter into negotiations with the United States. The Ambassador was relatively pleased about the references in the proposed note regarding the willingness of the United States to sell military equipment to Costa Rica under the terms of the Mutual Defense Assistance Act,⁴ and he asked that a note⁵ be sent to his Government referring specifically to that point.

Mr. Holland admitted to Ambassador Facio that he saw the merits of the Ambassador’s point of view, and he said that he would discuss once again with the officials in the Department of Defense the possibility of making a public statement which would indicate that the United States is disposed to consider the negotiation of a military assistance agreement with Costa Rica. At the same time, he and the Ambassador could understand clearly that the chances of an agreement eventually being reached would be very unlikely. Mr. Holland asked the Ambassador whether the reaction later in Costa Rica, when the United States had to tell that Government that it was not prepared to negotiate an agreement, would be as serious or more serious than the reaction which Ambassador Facio now felt would come about.

The Ambassador believed that the reaction at some time in the future would not be a serious one, especially after the current difficulties between Costa Rica and Nicaragua⁶ had calmed down.

The meeting concluded with Mr. Holland’s promise to Ambassador Facio that he would discuss with the military officials the possibility of a statement being made regarding the disposition of the United States to talk to Costa Rica about a military assistance agreement.⁷

1. Approved and initialed by Assistant Secretary Holland.
2. Not printed (718.5 MSP/4–1554).
3. No copy of the undelivered note was found in Department of State files.
4. Public Law 329, approved Oct. 6, 1949; for text, see 63 Stat. 715.
5. On Apr. 30, 1954, Deputy Assistant Secretary Woodward handed Ambassador Facio a note of the same date which stated that the Department would be glad to consider a Costa Rican request for the purchase of arms under current legislation (718.5 MSP/4–1554).
6. These difficulties stemmed in part from Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza’s accusation against President Figueres and other high Costa Rican officials of complicity in an abortive attempt on President Somoza’s life on Apr. 4, 1954. The resulting tension between the two countries, exacerbated by periodic border incidents and charges of hostile political activity, continued throughout 1954. For additional documentation, see pp. 847 ff. and 1378 ff.
7. A memorandum of the conversation which took place when Mr. Woodward handed the note of Apr. 30 concerning arms purchases to Ambassador Facio, dated Apr. 30, 1954, reads in part as follows: “Mr. Woodward told the Ambassador that unfortunately the necessary clearances had not been obtained to allow the Ambassador to state before the press representatives upon leaving Mr. Woodward’s office that the Department was also willing to examine the situation with regard to Costa Rica’s desire to enter into a military treaty with the United States.” (MID files, lot 57 D 15, “Costa Rica—Mutual Defense Assistance Program, 1954”)