817.00/2697
President Chamorro to the Nicaraguan Chargé (Zavala)7
Ask for an audience with the Department of State and express to them my surprise that in spite of the repeated declarations made by them to you of their impartiality and desire not to intervene in our electoral problem and that their only desire would be to have in Nicaragua a free and honest election complying with our laws, upon yesterday I received a visit from the Minister from the United States and the Military Attaché during which a message from the Department of State was handed to me requesting certain changes of the Electoral Law. These changes would be in violation of that same law and of our Constitution if made and would make null and void our form of Government. For those reasons I beg you to express to the Department of State that I am not able to accept its valuable suggestions and at the same time express to the Department the assurances of my Government that it will give the most complete liberty and fairness in the elections and that no one will have any reason for complaint except those who have not complied with the law by failing to register on the many occasions the law provides for and that has been accorded. The opposition has hoped by these means to obtain a victory of its opponents securing the favor of a recommendation which in the actual moment would seemingly appear to be an external imposition upon the Government and contrary to the repeated declarations which have been made by the Government of the United States. The suggestions of Major Miller might have been of value if they had been made some time prior to the elections and they may serve as a basis for changes to be made at the next session of the Congress.
- Copy of telegram left at the Department by the Nicaraguan Chargé, Sept. 24.↩