Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume E–11, Part 1, Documents on Mexico; Central America; and the Caribbean, 1973–1976

122. Memorandum of Conversation¹

San José, April 18, 1974.

PARTICIPANTS

• Luis Alberto Monge, President, Legislative Assembly
• Lyle F. Lane, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim, AmEmbassy San Jose
• Peter D. Johnson, Political Officer, AmEmbassy San Jose

SUBJECT

• Oduber, Figueres, and Liberacion Politics

During luncheon conversation today, Luis Alberto Monge, who is uncomfortably in the middle of some bitter parliamentary infighting and maneuvering between political factions, took time to explain in some detail the political problems implicit in processing through the Assembly the Education Bill; the Newspaper Bill; the Family Assistance Bill; the Exchange Reunification Bill; and then looking back two or three weeks, went into some of the politics of the Extradition Bill.

With regard to the last, the Extradition Bill, as much of the rest has been picked up in A–52, Monge described the reaction of the Figueres administration against the Embassy as an attempt to “devolver la pelota” at the Embassy after having been stung by the public’s reaction to the bill. He explained that back in December when the political campaign was beginning to really get expensive, Daniel found himself in desperate need for $4 million. Although he had not previously turned to Figueres and Vesco, Oduber found that, according to Luis Alberto, money was available from this source for a price. While Luis Alberto Monge was in Taiwan over the Christmas holidays, he said a deal was struck between Oduber and Figueres whereby $4 million worth of Vesco money was channeled into the Liberacion campaign coffers. Monge said the money was part of the funds that Vesco paid for the various government bonds that he bought from the administration a year or so ago and which we in the Embassy estimated totalled nearly $10 million (dollars). Monge went on to say that the price Oduber was required to pay for the $4 million was:

1. Nomination of Gonzalo Facio to remain in the Foreign Ministry;

2. A stiffened law to protect Robert Vesco from extradition attempts.

3. A promise to appoint Figueres’s son-in-law, Danilo Jimenez, as president of the social security institute.

This deal with Figueres, Luis Alberto pointed out, explains why Oduber was not in a position to fight the Extradition Bill when it was being pressed through the legislature. He had already committed himself to Figueres’s scheme.

Curiously, Monge made no reference whatsoever to the Embassy’s approach in the Legislative Assembly, at the time of the Extradition Bill’s consideration, to Edgar Arroyo, Acting President of the Assembly in Monge’s absence and probably an important element in provoking Figueres’s and possibly even Oduber’s irritation with the Embassy. On the other hand, Monge said he expected there was nothing to the allegations by Manuel Carballo Quintana that the Embassy was stimulating the Costa Rican youth to protest against the government extradition projects. Monge said that the original motion presented by Manuel Carballo Quintana contained allegations naming Peter Johnson, but Monge, before approving the motion, convinced the sponsor that the name be dropped. Monge anticipated, furthermore, that nothing would come of the investigation by the Foreign Ministry except a perfunctory reply indicating there was no substance to the allegations.

Liberacion Politics

Monge clearly is finding himself in an increasingly difficult position as heir apparent to the party presidency. The difficulty lies mainly with Figueres and his cronies: Burstin—who is the grey eminence; Danilo Jimenez—who has his own presidential aspirations; and Carlos Manuel Vincent former Minister of Gobernacion under Figueres. Figueres has been convinced by his cronies that he should take over the party, and Oduber has persuaded Monge that he should not confront Figueres. Anxious himself to avoid a confrontation, Monge said, perhaps unrealistically, that he believed that time might well work to his advantage. Monge said the PLN National Assembly scheduled for May, after the inauguration of the new administration, had been indefinitely postponed on his orders because the rank-and-file as well as the party cadre are solidly behind his own candidacy, but Figueres is insisting on the candidacy himself. Luis Alberto says it would not be politically wise to beat Figueres, even though he believes he could easily do it. So, as a temporary solution, Monge has agreed to indefinitely postpone the party convention. He will, in the meantime, continue as the party’s secretary-general, and there will be no party president for the indefinite future.

COMMENT: Monge is obviously unhappy with what he regards as indecisive backing of his position by the President-elect, but, on the other hand, by not himself providing courageous leadership, and allowing decisions which directly concern him to be made by others to his disadvantage, Monge has lost some ground with the rank and file. Maybe Oduber, always reluctant to take on Pepe Figueres, has agreed with Don Pepe to let Luis Alberto’s star eclipse by itself, leaving little alternative to a resurgence of Figuerismo.

1. Summary: During a lunch conversation, the president of the Costa Rican Legislative Assembly told Embassy officials that Oduber had agreed not to oppose the recently passed extradition law in exchange for Vesco-linked funding for his election campaign.

   Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P740044–0780. Confidential. Drafted by Johnson. Sent as an enclosure to airgram A–58 from San José, May 1. The meeting was held at the Hotel Amstol Restaurant. In airgram A–52 from San José, April 19, the Embassy reported that efforts to tie demonstrations against the Extradition Bill to U.S. interests appeared to represent an effort by political allies of the Figueres administration to discredit the protests. (Ibid., P740037–0730) In a July 1 letter to Sullivan, Johnson stated his view that Oduber sought to create the appearance of non-involvement with Vesco while enjoying the benefits of his presence in Costa Rica. (Ibid., ARA/CEN/CR Files: Lot 76D290, Chron—Letters, Correspondence from Embassy, 1974)