REPRODUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES DECLASSIFIED Authority State Lefter Tube hyme NARS Date 2458 818. 00 1948 MONICA Read.
Mar. 22 American Embassy, San José, Costa Rica, March 19, 1948.
ACTION ARA RESTRICTED INFO OCD No. 132 FC DCR EURX ITP SUBJECT: Conversation with Manuel Mora, Secretary General of Vanguardia Popular.
ARMY NAVY CIA CAD PUL AFAS THE HONORABLE THE SECRETARY OF STATE, WASHINGTON.
file wilt SIR: have the honor to enclose a copy of a memorandum of a conversation which had on March 17 with Manuel MORA Valverde, Secretary General of the Vanguardia Popular party. After indirect approahces were made indicating that Manuel Mora desired to have an opportunity to talk with a member of the Embassy staff, word was sent him that should he wish to see me my door was, of course, always open to any Costa Rican who wished to call.
818. 00 1948 Following this indirect approach, arrangements were made for him to call upon me at the Embassy residence on the morning of March 17. He arrived in an unpretentious private automobile accompanied by two bodyguards armed with rifles and two with tammy guns who remained in the street outside the Embassy while Manuel Mora conversed With me IOI nearly two hours. The enclosed memorandum of his remarks is forwarded for what it may be worth.
Manuel Mora obviously came prepared for rather searching questions on my part on his political background and the position of his party, but also apparently with a definite intention of informing me that he was on the side of neither Ulate nor Calderon Guardia, and that his only interest at the present time is the preservation of the Mdemocration gains of the past several years. This was apparent from his remark when he was about to leave that he wished to inform me that his party was desirous at this point of only three things. 1) the preservation of the Social Security and labor laws and the social guarantees RESTRICTED 29 ACTION COPY RETURN TO DC FILES WETEN 14 DAYS, WITE NOTATION OF AOTION TAKEN.