REPRODUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES DECLASSIFIED Sherity Stateletter Inhz 8: ML Cate 2498 Laclosure no. to despatch no. 2652, dated December 5, 1946, from American Embassy, San José, Costa Rica.
TRANSLATION La Tribuna December 1, 1946 STALIENT BY EX PRESIDENT CALDERON GUARDIA La Naciort under date on November 29th published an article by José Quetglas, a Salvadoran newspaperman, in which the latter affirms that when he intervieved Dr. Calderon Guardia in 1939, the then President elect told him: When you return to Salvador want you to visit General Martinez and tell him that am firmly decided to finish with communism in this country to achieve tranquilization of Costa Rica. also want you to tell General Martinez that need his moral support.
CALDERON made following comment on above. It is quite possible that said something similar on the subject of communism to what he nov! attributes to me. But do not believe it possible that made him the bearer of a message to General Martinez to which he refers. never sympathized with the blood and fire policies of General Martinez against the Salvadoran people.
occasions during my 1939 electoral campaign made statements of anticommunism, but also made them regarding my democratic faith and my Christian principles. offered the electorate to fight against communism through wiping out the reasons for its existence. which fundamentally are in social injustice. but never by assassinating its proselytes like General Martinez did. For this reason do not deny (the statement) regarding communism, but do deny the message to General Martinez who, while President, on various occasions endeavored to establish a common front with General Ubico to throw me out of office. never established friendship. with any determined social doctrine. did establish friendship with a group of Costa Ricans who backed a social policy of mine. without asking me to adhere to any philosophy contrary to the one which sustain. To be more precise: Vanguardia Popular and were in harmony on certain concrete questions: Social Guarantees, Labor Code, Social Insurance, land laws.
These questions, or social theses to call them more precisely, were comprised within the Vanguardista program and also within the framework of my convictions and of my plans of government. On other points the Vanguardistas and differed. shall always be grateful to the Vanguardistas for the loyal and disinterested support they gave me.
But neither today, nor yesterday have they been able to fool me with regard to my viewpoints on political social subjects, nor with regard to my philosophical convictions. They know that am a partisan of easy social transformation which allows the correction of injustices, but never of violent transformation. Precisely, because that is my way of thinking, was set on enacting before leaving the presidency the laws which have heaped upon me so much hatred of nearsighted people. The ial laws enacted under my administration were based upon Papal encyclicals and were inspired in the desire of opening legal means to conflicts which, without them in the long run, would have been the cause of lamentable violence. have never shirked responsibility and when