NATHANIET TO powers from the government to ascertain his terms for an end to the fighting, he and his staff withdrew to con sider the matter. He took the opportunity to go to the PRA. office to use its radio telephone to call San José and insist that the government observe the truce it had agreed to. On the way we had to pass through the zone of fire from the cuartel and were fired upon. That. happened five times altogether during the day but none of the shots hit us. We got through to the Embassy and to the Peruvian Minister at different stations and asked them to see the President and insist that he order his troops to observe the truce. He claimed he had no way of communicating with the cuartel or with the troops at Tejar who began an attack towards Cartago at the moment of our arrival. We told him it was his obligation to make every effort. At least he could send a jeep by back roads to Tejar if it were true that the troops there have no radio. To anticipate, two radio conversations during the time we were in Cartago and our joint personal protest after our return got no results.
We returned to Figueres headquarters and received Lhis reply: In essence, the resignation of the President and Vice Presidents and election by Congress of Figueres and two of his principal aides to replace the Vice Presidents. They would thus come into power legally to serve until the end of the present term, May How or who would be elected then was not discussed as none of our business. Full guarantees of life and property; egneral amnesty; surrender of the army after which it would be demobilized and sent home. This latter is an important point to insure against the congregation of large numbers of jobless desperados in the towns.
Having accepted this ad referendum we took our departure and arrived at the presidential palace in San José about p. We presented the paper to the President. He was agreeable to all points except the election of Figueres and his companions which he said the people on his side would not accepteven if he did. The result would be continuation of the war with increased bitterness. We said this was Figueres last word and asked what counter proposition he could make. He asked for time to consider. We withdrew and came back at four thirty.
He handed