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REPRODUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES. DECLASSIFIED Authority Statele Her Mah2 by me NARS Date 2498 Re: RECENT POLITICAL ACTIVITY.
hatuation Sans José, Costa Rica als votes In the Presidential contest in Costa Rica, as candidates, there still remain only LIECON CORTES, the former President, and TEODORO PICADO, hand picked candidate of the present inoumbønt.
There are no clear cut issues in the light. The Official Party cam paign oratory and paid advertisements stress the following. 1) CORTES is pro Nazi and the enemy of the working man. Sen (2) That their party is pledged to support the social guarantees aimed to respect the standard of living of the working man.
On the other hand, ÇORTES places emphasis on the following. 2)
That graft, corruption and speculation in the present government will only be continued 17 PICADO is elected as a The Communist influence and infiltration into the present regime.
That PICADO is pro Japanese.
The high cost of living is the fault of the present administration. 4)
CORTES has taken no stand in regard to the social guarantees, but this question has not become a serious issue as it has never been generally accepted by the people whom it was to help as they feel it is merely a campaign promise and will probably never be put into effect. Both candidates place a great deal of weight on the position of the United States Government, and indirectly each one attempts to indicate that his candidacy is looked upon with favor from Washington. As yet neither one has been able to capitalize on this in a large way.
As to the general qualifications of both men, it is generally conceded that CORTES is by far the most able. He is regarded as a man of very strong character, honest but vindictive, and with a slight tendency toward dictatorship.
He is essentially a Costa Rican first. although the chorges of his being pro Nazi are generally unfounded, and he is not bolieved to be pro United States except to the extent that it can improve his position or help his countr It is the general consensus of opinion among the people that if the election were held at the present time, CORTES would be victorious by a substantial majority. It is very difficult to ascertain definitely how the vote is split at the present time, but outside of the Communistic controlled vote, which may number 15, 000, the Official Party has no solid backing. The majority of those who might be classed as capitalists are said to be opposed to PICADO, and the official party, because of the Communist penetration into it, and the possibility that if PICADO is elected this Communist influence will be sufficient to put into effect the social laws which will effect them financially. On the other hand, the mass of the peon class or country peo on the high cost of living and attribute full blame on the administration. Also this group is of a very religious character and strongly opposed to Communismi.