CECLASSE Authority Stateletter Inhaz EMBASSY THCSON OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA San José, Costa Rica, August 10, 1943.
No. 373 Subject: POLITICAL: The Reasons for the Attitude of the Archbishop of San José toward the New Political Party. Vanguardia Popular.
USABOB!
Vid2 STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL The Honorable The Secretary of State, Washington, 800. 00B Commeneel 818. 00B 128 Sir: Referring to the Department strictly confidential instruction no. 99 of July 20, 1943, have the honor to report that the Embassy is of the opinion that the Archbishop of San José, Monsignor Sanabria, gave his public approval to Roman Catholic workers who wished to join the new political party, Vanguardia Popular, for personal and local reasons. There is no evidence available to the Embassy to indicate that such a stop on his part originated from developments outside of Costa Rica. 47 1 Two reasons seemed to be behind the Archbishop act. The commanding one seems to lie in his own liberal views as a native Costa Rican. There is enclosed a copy, together with translation, of the section devoted to his attitude on social problems, in his Pastoral Letter of April 28, 1940, written on the occasion of his consecration as Archbishop of San José. The Archbishop referred to this in his letter of June 14, 1943 to Manuel Mora (see enclosure to my despatch no. 127 June 17, 1943) and through an emissary inquired of the Embassy if he could not send it to this office. He wished the Embassy to have it in order that his stand with reference to the new party, Vanguardia Popular, which is almost entirely composed of members of the former Communist Party, would be more clearly understood in the light of his past and present liberal trend of thought. This wish on his part is indicative of the fact that he is aware of the significance of his approval of a former Communist group le, and afraid that the step which he has taken might be subject to grave and harmful misinterpretation.
In his Pastoral Letter of April 28, 1940, Monsignor Sanabria stated the social question was of such a naturo and urgency that if it was not solved in an orderly manner in justice and charity, its solution would be through disorder, injustice and violence. He added that while economic