20. Telegram From the Department of State to Secretary of State Vance in Ankara and the Embassies in Guatemala and Mexico1
Tosec 10126/17102. Guatemala for Ambassador, Mexico for Ambassador & Todman. Subject: Set-Back in the Belize Negotiations.
1. As reviewed in President’s evening reading file,2 Price has greatly hardened his position and prospects for early settlement have receded. Opposition criticism in Belize apparently led Price to harden his position after the British thought they had his acquiescence to the modified plan of mediation.3 Todman met with Price in Miami yesterday; conversation confirmed negative British report.4 Price did say at end conversation that something might be worked out if either cession or difficult provisions of treaty dropped. Todman will pursue issue with Mexicans [Page 57] and Guatemalans next few days but without inserting us between any directly involved parties.5
2. However, we feel British may in desperation make effort move us into mediation with larger number issues open than can realistically be resolved in brief period before change of government in Guatemala. Thus we recommend you send following message to Rowlands:
Begin text. I am as disappointed as I know you must be with the latest developments on Belize. Terry Todman saw Price yesterday and got the same treatment although Price seemed to think some cession, but less than Guatemala expects, might be possible if difficult treaty provisions dropped. I wish you the very best luck in putting things back together again. But I think I should also say that, while we were quite prepared to play a key role in unwrapping a hard boiled egg, our many touchy relations in the Hemisphere force us to be quite sure it is not a soft boiled egg before we take on that role. I will be looking forward to your further reports and I fully understand that you may want to slip the previously discussed meeting schedule. End text.
- Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, P840148–1564. Secret; Immediate; Nodis. Drafted by Bushnell; cleared in S/S–O; approved by Bushnell. Sent for information Immediate to the White House.↩
- Not found.↩
- In telegram 477 from Kingston, January 20, the Embassy reported on Rowlands’s meetings with Price January 18–19. Rowlands was “bitterly disappointed” by Price’s announcement that “under no circumstances could Belize agree to ‛mediation involving territorial cession.’” (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D780031–0710)↩
- In telegram 1188 from Mexico City, January 21, the Embassy reported on Todman’s January 19 meeting with Price at the Miami airport. During the meeting, Price commented on his January 18–19 meetings with Rowlands in Kingston: “Rowlands asked Price to agree to accept mediation without any prearranged solution, but Rowlands then stated under questioning that once Price agreed to such mediation he would be morally bound to accept mediation proposal which would certainly be territorial cession plus treaty arrangement tying Belize to Guatemala.” Price declined to agree to these terms and said “he would prefer see his country continue as a colony rather than agree to such terms.” (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D780031–0918)↩
- Telegram 1209 from Mexico City, January 21, reported on Todman’s January 20 discussion with Lopez Portillo about Belize during which Todman suggested that Mexico could act as a “third party” to help the United Kingdom and Guatemala reach a “negotiated settlement.” (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D780032–1226) Telegram 466 from Guatemala City, January 24, reported that during Todman’s January 23 meeting with Molina “Todman expressed serious doubt to Molina that Price will accept both a territorial cession and the contemplated treaty articles spelling out a close post-independence relationship between Guatemala and Belize.” (See Document 21)↩