817.00/6256: Telegram

The Minister in Nicaragua (Eberhardt) to the Secretary of State

96. Legation’s 95, April 10, 11 a.m. In conversation with the President yesterday he brought up the matter of the recent imprisonments. He stated that all of the arrests made at his order were legal in every way, that warrants had been issued in all cases, and that no man had been detained beyond the period of ten days permitted by Constitution. He stated that these men or the elements they represented were [not?] attempting to incite the people to revolution but he states he did have good reason to believe that they were conspiring to promote intranquillity and lack of confidence in his regime. He suspects the two nephews of Chamorro of having helped to furnish supplies to Altamirano. In the case of Gabry Rivas he states that the latter, with a home of his own, hired a room in a building very close to the Presidential palace where he and other undesirable Conservatives were in the habit of meeting. I expressed to President Moncada the hope that he would not find it necessary to continue this series of arrests much longer and he promised me that he would not abuse the powers placed in him by the Constitution. According to the President, only the three persons mentioned in the Legation’s 95 and one other are at present being detained by his order and he expects to order their release at the end of the legal period of 10 days.

Eberhardt