HARRY TRUMAN LIBRARY Papers of NATHANIEL P, DAVIS April 2, 1948, PAOLO After getting clearances all around went to Mr.
Harschberger house early this morning and read the Archbishop message to Figueres asking for a meeting, to Mr. Phillips at Millsville. The connection was good and he had no difficulty getting and confirming the message. He said he would send it to Figueres es muickly as possible but doubted that he could get the answer back to me before PM.
He came through about 30. There was a lot of interference and it took us a long time to get the message straisht. It.
was an acceptance of the request and directions as to the time and place of meeting, maring on the car, etc. immediately took it to the Archbishop who let dron during the ensuing conversation that its contents had already been brought to him by someone who had monitored the conversation. He also told me in confidence that Ulate is hidden in his house.
That clears up the mystery of where he is.
After dinner returned to Harshlberber and called Phillips to tell him that Figueres terms were acceptable and thet the party will leave San Jose at AM tomorrow to reach El Empalme at then returned to the Archbishop to tell him that the message had been received at Millsville and confirmed; that Figueres representative there had stressed the point that only the Archbishop, Dr. Pinto and Don Ernesto Martins were to be in the car which Dosses the lines; and that according to my information there is already heavy fighting well this side of El Emnalme, so that there may be some question as to his ability to get through. He had heard that too, as well as a story, which had not heard, that the government is felling trees across the highway between here and Cartago. If true, thot may nut an end to the whole effort at a meeting. The Archbishon told me, what already knew, that Dr. Julio Cesar Oraves has been tentatively selected as the compromise candidate with proviso that new elections be held within two years. He confirmed the rumor we have that Mora has agreed to sunnort Ulate on this besis and said the chief stumbling block now is the President who is so unrealistic that he is insisting on a formal surrender by Figueres. He added that if an arrangement is reached one provision will be that the President leave the country at once. Speaking of the Church flags to be flown from his car, he said with a grin that he had already thought of that before Figueres stipulated it, since without his flag people seeing him riding in a car with a group of government officers might think he was being taken out to be shot.
While passing through the stteets tonight displayed the flag on my car. We were halted several times by sentries, one of whom pointed his rifle at me, but were permitted to pass without question as soon as we were identified. And so to bed.