HARRY TRUMAN LIBRARY Papers of NATHANIEL P, DAVIS. nez.
at the President request, Monseigneur Supe had been sent to Cartago in my car with a letter from the President directed to Colonel Roberto Tinoco, Commander of the Cuartel, authorizing him to surrender if he thought his position justified it. Monseigneur was to pick. up a letter from Figueres guaranteeing the safety of the members of the garrison. However, when Monseigneur presented the letter at the cuartel, acceptance was refused on the ground that Tinoco was not there.
went to Harshberger in order to explain by telephone that the letter was intended for whoever was the Commander and was addressed to Tinoco because the President thought he was in command. While we were arranging to send Monseigneur to Cartago, an officer arrived and reported to the President in my hearing that taking advantage of the truce Figueres was surronnding San José and that 200 men had taken up position in Desemparados. when When the meeting was resumed, Mora spoke. His tone. was conciliatory. He said that the members of his party were more anxious than anyone else to lay down their arms and go back to work. They had taken up arms not as a party but as citizens in defense of the constitutional government. All they wanted was assurances that the rights and interests of the laboring classes be respected and, since the Diplomatic Corps had presented the proposed arrangement and had pointed out that it included a statement by Mr. Figueres that he and his supporters would maintain in force the existing social legislation, he declared before us all that his party would accept, However, he felt that the practical details should be further discussed. His party was not interested in any particular personalities in government offices and wanted no offices for itself. However, he felt that to put Mr. Figueres in as Minister of Public Security, although with full guarantees, would be a psychological error since his name has been made the symbol of everything his men are fighting against. He thought the effect would be the reverse of tranquillizing. He didn care to suggest any particular name but he proposed that representatives of his party, the Republican Party, and Figueres might get together and make up a slate. Calderon Guardia spoke again to the effect that before he could give me any answer to anything he would have to consult with his party committee and wanted to know what would happen if they