HARRY TRUMAN LIBRARY Papers of NATHANIEL DAVIS EXTRACT FROM MYMIARY Postscript, April 15, 1948 Monseigneur Zupi returned about six. His mission failed because the cuartel in Cargago refused to receive the President letter addressed to Colonel Tinoco on the ground that he was not there. This creates a mystery which we have not yet been able to clear up. The President thought Tinoco was in command of the cuartel, and the tank in which he is supposed to have gone to Cartago before it fell to Figueres is reported by Padre Nunez to be stationed in front of the Cuartel gate. Its gun is useable and has been used, but it must be out of gas or have some defect as it makes no attempt to move. At any rate the officers of the Cuartel insist that Tinoco is not there and refuse to surrender without an order from the President which they consider genuine.
At seven, after an early dinner, returned to the Mexican Embassy where learned that the meeting for this evening had been postponed. After the radio conference between Nunez and Figueres it was decided that the former should return tonight and come back to San José tomorrow.
After his talk with Mora, Nunez thought this necessary and seemed to think that he could get Figueres agreement to a cabinet of national concentration which would satisfy the majority on both sides. He was to take that proposition, together with suggested names with him tonight.
About eight, the Nuncio and took Nunez in my car, with our regular jeep escort, and started for the front lines. We turned on the dome light in the car so we could be recognized by riflemen along the way. There was safety and danger in this. Safety in that anyone not seeing the flag in the dark would see Monseigneur clerical garb and probably recognize me too (as must be pretty wellknown all along that road by now. Danger in that Padre Nunez would be recognized and there must be plenty of Communists who would like nothing better than to take a pot shot at him. As a matter of fact, he was recognized at at least one place and the soldiers called out There goes Padre Nunez. But we made the now familiar round trip to Figueres road block and back without incident.
We took along Colonel Tinoco son armed with a letter from the President to the Commander of the Cuartel, whoever he may be, in the hope that he could arrange the surrender and at the same time clear up the mystery of the Colonel whereabouts.
The Nuncio