CECLASSMED Authority Stateletter Inhz 8: WLHOR Cate 24981. He developed this farther by expressing his fears that his brother was in fact too involved with the Calderón Guardias and the former Communist Party to free himself of their influence. For this reason don Rená said he was going to give his brother a period of 90 days within which to define his policies and program. If he (dom Teodoro) did not manage to shake free within that time from these influences, don René said that he would then proceed to get his brother out of the country or apprehend him, if necessary, do the same with Francisco Cal.
dorón Guardia, and take over the Presidency as Second Designate.
If this comes to pass don René said that he could count on the support of not only the Picadista element, but also about 50 per cent of the former Cortés party, whereas he would have against him the Calderón Guardia supporters and the Vanguardia Party. He did not disguise his belief thąt this situation would probably precipitate a revolution here. He referred, however, with some optimism to the fact that General Ubico had promised him all the assistance he needed in the form of military advisers or officers in civilian clothes, et cetera. While General Somoza and General Ubico hated each other, he said, they both are allied against Communism and don René thought that General Somoza would also assist him in this eventuality. Don René stated that he was strongly supported im his view by two of his brother Cabinet Ministers, Ricardo Fernández Peralta, the Minister of Public Works, and José Joaquín Peralta, the Minister designate of Agriculture. He stated that these two men were so infuriated by the attempted double cross mentioned above.
that they had wished to make a statement to the press at the time, but finally decided that it would be best to refrain from doing so.
Don René mentioned again the fact that the appointment of Gutiérrez Ross as Ambassador to Washington was the result of pressure from the Calderón Guardias and Manuel Mora, who wanted, in the event of some upset here, to have a person in their confidence in the important Washington post.
He said that no decision has been reached as yet regarding the post of Minister of Finance and said that it had been suggested that he (don René) might take this job which he considered a rather ingenuous attempt to remove him from the Ministry of Public Safety. He rsiterated his determination not to yield to any such prossures and he went on to describe at some length his fraternizing with the soldiers in the barracks, where he intends to sleep occasionally and eat the soldiers food, so as to assure himself of their complete loyalty. Don René said that these tactics had already resulted in a surprisingly friendly feeling of the soldiers toward him which he said he intended to cultivate in very way possible.
EGT mm