Historical Documents - Office of the Historian

New York, September 26, 1956.

Dear Foster: Mena-Solorzano (Nicaragua) sought me out to tell me the following:

1.: Somoza’s health has taken a turn for the worse and the outlook now is that he will either die or be paralyzed for life.
2.: Thus the Presidency of Nicaragua will be vacated.
3.: Sevilla-Sacasa is unquestionably the best man to succeed him but he cannot be elected by the Congress which, under the Nicaraguan Constitution, would fill the vacancy.
4.: The regular election is next February.
5.: Mena-Solorzano would be willing to run and thinks he has a good chance of getting elected provided he has “the blessing of the United States”.
6.: He stressed the unstable course of events in Honduras and Costa Rica, the proximity of Nicaragua to the Panama Canal, and the possibility that Nicaragua might become another Guatemala unless the US takes an active interest.

Please let me know how I should answer him.

Faithfully yours,

Cabot L.

Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, American Republics: Central and South America, Volume VII