REPRODUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES. DECLASSIFIED Authority Stateletter the y me NARI 02:09 2498 declined to deal with the strikers, but the Government al ment between its representatives and representatives of the independent banana producers which had the effect of terminating the strike, Although no agreement was entered into by the fruit company, workers also returned to the fruit company plantations under conditions apparently satisfactory to them.
President Jiménez showed great tolerance toward the strikers so long as they refrained from violence. In doing so, he said he was defending their right to trile. However, when threats of violence were made and destruction of property followed, Presidont Jiménez showed equal courage in protecting the people against tho strikors. He was severely criticized by conservative olements for his carly loniency, but won liberal favor. Tho banana strike had the result of improssing upon the Costa Rican people, the economic value of the banana industry to thome to that oxtont tho po sition of the United Fruit Company in Costa Rica was probably inprovod. It also revealed the growing power of the Communist olement in Costa Rica and led to speculation as to the possibility of a striko in the coffee industry, which would be a far more serious thing for Costa Rica.
One of the results of the strike of banana workers has been a tendoncy away from the liberal attitude toward free speech and free assembly of which the Costa Ricans have been so proud in the past. The dangers to freedom in Costa Rica have been made to appear more imminent, moreover, by undisguised annoyance on the part of Guatemala at what were considerod to be unfriendly references and criticisms in the Costa Rican pross and by Costa Rican students concerning the rocont political executions in Guate.
mala and the cvents that led up to them. Largoly as a result of Guatemala repeated protests, a bill, introduced by President Jiménez, which will restrict the hitherto practically unlimited right of the Costa Rican press to criticize rulers of friendly countrios and their diplomatic representatives, has been passed by Congress. President Jiménez has said that the only President who may be freely criticized in Costa Rica is he himself.
The racial difference and the difference in temperament and charac ter between Costa Ricans and other peoples of Central America have tended to foster a nationalistic, isolationist attitude on the part of Costa Ricans.
The Costa Rican public has an unusually cynical attitude toward efforts concerning international cooperation. The country retired some years ago from the League of Nations. It was the only Latin American Republic not represented at the last Pan American Conference in Montevideo. It has shown no interest in ratifying the new Central American treaty recently drawn up in Guatemala, Costa Ricans are the least enthusiastic about a Central American Union and are the last to show enthusiasm for improved communications with their neighbors. They have evinced little positive interest in the Inter American Highway. At present they are most friendly with tho Sal.
vadorans, who share their present antipathy toward Guatemala, Costa Rica relations with Guatemala have been unsatisfactory for some time, and this friction is a potential source of trouble. The Costa Rican Foreign Minister recently concluded a good will trip to the other Central American capitals and Mexico City. The desire of the Costa Rican Government to maintain close relations with El Salvador and Mexico is apparent, presumably to offset any threat from Guatemala. Some improvement in Guatemalan Costa Rican relations is looked for, however, with the passage of the press bill referred to above.
Costa Rica relations with Nicaragua, never overly cordial due to the fundamental differences in the character of the people of the two countries, have not been improved by the high protective tariff recently placed on cattle imported into Costa Rica from Nicaragua. Attempts to remove or reduce this tax have not prospered thus far, largely due to President Jiménez!
firm belief in the soundness of the protection afforded Costa Rican cattle.
raisers.
There still exists a boundary question betweon Costa Rica and Panana.
Under the provisions of a Convention entered into on November 4, 1896, by the Governments of Colombia (Panama at the time, of course, being a part of Colombia. and Costa Rica, the boundary between them was submitted to Emile Loubot, President of France, for sottlement. The Loubet award was rendered on