REPRODUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES. DECLASSIFIED Authority Stateletter Inh. y m2, NARA 02:0 2458 Señor Cortés in his recent public statements has expressed his fears that he and his party mayo encounter foul play in the elections and he has not hesitated to take a somewhat belligerent tone, in the sense that he and his followers will not permit the will of the people to be frustrated.
ORA recently received a call from the campaign manager of Señor Cortés, Señor Castro Beeche, who was frank im expressing his serious concern over the way matters were going for his party. He was insistent that the United States should not stand idly by while a flagrant denial of justice was being committed. One argument he used was that it would be ironical indeed if while we are all fighting a war to preserve democracy we should permit democracy in Costa Rica to perish. He did not volunteer any specific suggestions, as to what the role of the United States should be in this connection nor did give him any encouragement in believing that there was anything we could doo Señor Castro Boeche also made the interesting observation that there might. well be an energetic reaction in the other Central American Republics, especially in Nicaragua, to the setting up in Costa Rica of what he termed a Communist Government. There have been hints already in the local press to the effect that President Ubico of Guatemala looks with favor on the candidacy of Leon Cortés. Señor Beeche remark may possibly foreshadow efforts on the part of his political associates (as a last resort. to enlist assistance in the other Republics in order to prevent a victory of the Picado Mora forces next February. If matters come to this pass, possibilities for international mischief making are obvious.
While the pact between Picado and Mora has removed Picado from the semi obscurity in which he has recently been shrouded, there are reliable observers who believe that President Calderón Guardia is still toying with the idea of remaining in office after the end of his present term. It is also said that Señor Mora would prefer that this be done since he is not keen about Picado who, by his advocacy of the Franco cause in Spain and other anticommunist activities has not endeared himself to the Vanguardia Popular Party. Mora, it is said, cherishes presidential ambitions on his own part and is inclined to believe that his best chance of attaining power would come as a successor to President Calderón Guardia, provided the latter should be able to extend his present term for one or two years, or until the end of the present war. Mora chances of being popularly elected are naturally too slender at the present time to allow him to calculate on that means of achieving his ambition. He might be able to attain his ends, however, through conniving with the President, whereby in return for support of prolongation of Dr. Calderón Guardia term, the latter would agree to induct him as his successor. There is no doubt that neither the President nor Mora has great faith in Picado or much enthusiasm for seeing him take over the Presidency next May.
Observers VI State