REPRODUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES DECLASSIFIED Authority Stateletter Inha By ML NARS C: 2418 snoloaure No. 1, Despatch No. 132, March 19, 2740 Amerioan Embassy, San José, Costa Rica.
RESTRICTED Page MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION Mangal Mora, member of the Congress and Secretary General of the Vanguardia Popular party, called at the Embassy Residence following an intimation that he would appreolate an opportunity to speak with the Ambassador.
In appearanoo he is fairly stooky with a full lace and prominent lips. His eyes, sheltered by spectacles, appear to laok animation, and his hair, which is generálly blaok and Alightly reading at the forehead, has a decided fringe gray around the sides. His hands, while not partioularly small, are delicately formed and he apparently has a nervous idiosyncrasy of constantly wiggling his foot while talking. He was conservatively though. srpensively dressed, perhaps due to the faot, as he later remarked, that he received approxima tely 1200 colones a year as a member of Congress and is paid 400 colones a month as leader of Vanguardia Popular. The remainder of his Congressional salary is presumably turned in to the Party. With regard to the general situation in Costa Rica at the prosent moment, Mora took a pessimistic view.
He said he folt that the blame should be laid at the door of the Government since he had never been in agreemant, with the Pioado administration in allowing the Opposition to concentrato forces and arms with the very apparent intention of proceeding to military action ir they should not be successful at the polls. He said.
that this very statement would serve to deny the allegations which had been so constantly made of his exoessivo inflgono. in the government, adding that if he had thg ineluopo attributed him the present situat: Lon would not have ariaen ainoo he would have insisted that firm aotion be taken to preserve the peace through the suffooation of the Tiguer98. attempt before it bad gained.
momentum. He also said that he felt the situation had deteriorated with the known intervention of the Guatemalan government With regard to the negotiations undertaken first by the Aroholshop and subsequently by the Bankers Association, he. aaid that he had not been called in, which he tolt. was, a mistake on the part of the negotiators who feared that he would be, extreme in his views. He remakred that his pollo 1os, far from being extreme, were more moderate than could be found in certain elements of both the Ulats and Calderon groups and that he felt that is in one would have been beneficial in agroing upon a sandidata for the exercise of the Presidency who hold, wol1 belanood and demogatic views. He said that RESTRICTED