817.00/4540
The Secretary of State to
the Secretary of the Navy (Wilbur)
Washington, February 7,
1927.
Sir: I have the honor to request that the
attached message be transmitted immediately to Admiral Latimer if you
see no objection.
I have [etc.]
[Enclosure]
Message for Admiral Latimer from the Secretary
of State
The Department has just received a message from Puerto Cabezas which
reads in translation as follows:30
[Page 307]
“Our representative Doctor Vaca reports to us he declared to
your Department that the Government of the Constitutional
President, His Excellency Doctor Sacasa accepts honorable
mediation United States and Central America for settlement
of Nicaraguan dispute and proposes a conference at
Washington between delegates of Señor Diaz and ours, I have
the honor to say to your Excellency that my Government
approves that declaration which I hereby ratify with the
assurance of my high consideration.
(Sd.) Rodolfo Espinosa
Minister of Relations
of Nicaragua.”
You will observe that this message presupposes an offer of mediation
by this Government and that Sacasa undertakes to accept such offer
in his pretended capacity of Constitutional President of Nicaragua.
This is, of course, a bid for implied recognition. The United States
has not made any offer of mediation. It has merely adopted a
receptive attitude indicating that its good offices would be
available if invoked by both sides. The United States has not
recognized the Sacasa movement as a Government, nor has it even
recognized belligerency. We cannot call formal conferences at the
request of the revolutionary party alone. If by the use of your
personal good offices both factions can be brought together, and if
as the result of such a meeting the good offices of this Government
are invoked by both parties, we should naturally consider any
proposal that might be submitted in that way with the approval of
both sides. We believe that any conference, either preliminary or
final, should be held in Nicaragua rather than in Washington. If you
should find that a meeting is feasible through the exercise of your
personal efforts please wire fully and await further
instructions.
Unless you see some objection you will communicate the substance of
this message informally and orally to Doctor Sacasa and Doctor
Espinosa. In the circumstances it is hoped that you can arrange to
be at Puerto Cabezas as soon as possible, since communication with
Sacasa through you personally rather than through a subordinate
officer, seems preferable in this matter.
