REPRODUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES DECLASSIFIED Authority Stateletter lahz by ME, NARA Ozdo 2498 by the indifferent attitude of President Jiménez toward Communism. He said that on his return from his trip he prepared a confidential memorandum on the situation in Cuba (with which he is quite familiar) for the President information, in the hope that it would open the latter eyes to the danger in allowing Communism or radicalism to spread unchecked in Costa Rica. The President wrote him that he had found the report extremely interesting, but shortly thereafter, to Mr. Martinez chagrin, ordered several Communists arrested on apparently bona fide charges in Alajuela, to be released at once.
While not in any sense of the word an alarmist, Mr. Martinez is convinced that communism is spreading steadily and surely among the humbler classes of the Republic. He cited as proof the discontent recently observable in the Turrialba distriot (my despatch No.
324 of July 2, 1934, pp. 20 21. the willingness of the poor classes to stint themselves in order to contribute regularly to the Party fund and the almost fanatic zeal with which proselytizing activities are carried on in all parts of the country by agitators who ignore physical hardships to discharge their missions.
Likewise, he said, the Communists now plan to convert their weekly newspaper TRABAJO (Labor) into a daily. Money to do this, in his opinion, may be found, since party fund collections are reported to be steadily increasing. The two Communist Congressmen turn