817.00/3158: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Nicaragua (Thurston)
111. If you consider it advisable you are authorized to ask the Commander of the Legation Guard to send a few reliable Marines to important centers outside of Managua at the time of the elections in order to help you obtain information about the manner in which the elections are carried on. The Department is most anxious that you should obtain the most full information about the conduct of the elections and it leaves the manner of obtaining this information to your discretion. It realizes that it will be exceedingly difficult for you to obtain full information with the resources at your disposal.
The Department considers it extremely important that if the Marines are used they should be very fully instructed that the object of sending them to the places chosen by you is merely for observation and that they must scrupulously limit their actions to observation only and must in no case take any action in favor of or against any of the political parties nor should they undertake any functions [Page 497] whatsoever in connection with the conduct of the elections. They are merely to observe conditions and make report thereof to you.
Do you consider that it would be advisable or helpful for you or for the Department to issue a public statement shortly before the elections to the effect that the United States is carefully observing the manner in which the elections are conducted in order that it may have at hand adequate information to enable it to determine whether it can consistently recognize the new administration on January 1? Please cable your views.