Government has regained possession of Progreso. Government troops in Tela are less than 100 but a hundred or more reenforcements due to arrive from La Ceiba morning April 20th. Ceiba has a garrison minus the detachment sent to Tela of 200 men and has not been seriously threatened by the insurrectionists. Truxillo also according to the latest reports seems secure; its garrison is 200 men. Figures for garrisons furnished Legation by the President who feels sure of loyalty of their commanders and of those at San Pedro Sula and Puerto Cortes as well. Puerto Cortes district is as yet unaffected. No prominent military or political leaders have so far been identified with this movement which appears recruited entirely from the unemployed, the communists, the riffraff and the criminals of Northern Honduras. No insurrectionary forces have approached nearer than 30 miles to the ports mentioned, and my own opinion is that uprising will soon fizzle out. I have instructed consuls to take appropriate measures for protection of American and other foreigners' lives and property, and to suggest to managers of fruit company at their posts to keep steamships within reach for evacuation of Americans and other foreigners if necessary. Where possible American women have been brought to ports from interior by fruit company. I have informed Consuls of European powers in Tegucigalpa that American Consuls will do all they can to protect their nationals and am in constant consultation with Government authorities and with representatives of United and Standard Fruit Companies here. Commander Memphis advised to stop at Puerto Castilla, Ceiba and Tela. Fisher directed remain Tela during emergency. LAY 815.00 Revolutions/7: Telegram The Vice Consul at Puerto Cortes (Wasson) to the Secretary of State PUERTO CORTES, April 20, 1931—8 a. m. [Received 4:23 p. m.] Yesterday afternoon General Ladislao Santo, secretary of General Ferrera, crossed the Ulua River at Progreso into Department of Yoro with 200 followers. They proceeded slowly toward San Pedro Sula requisitioning mules and saddles at banana plantations. First fighting in this consular district occurred at Pimienta on National Railroad April 19, 9 p. m., which fell after sharp engagement. All train traffic on National Railroad and Ramal del Ulua has been suspended at request of General J. Antonio Inestroza, Commandante of San Pedro Sula. I proceeded to San Pedro Sula last night to reassure Americans and foreigners residing there. General Ferrera had remained in hiding in San Pedro Sula until 4 p. m. General Inestroza assured me that foreigners' lives and property will be protected. WASSON 814.00/1065: Telegram The Minister in Guatemala (Whitehouse) to the Secretary of State GUATEMALA, April 20, 1931-11 a. m. [Received 1:25 p. m.] 29. Minister of Foreign Affairs has informed me that the Jefe Politico of Puerto Barrios yesterday arrested General Filiberto Diaz Zelaya and four companions who were on their way to join the Honduran revolution. All five are now locked up here. Repeated to Tegucigalpa. WHITEHOUSE 815.00 Revolutions/28 Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of Current Information (McDermott) of Press Conference by the Secretary of State, Monday, April 20, 1931 [Extract] HONDURAS With reference to the trouble in Honduras the Secretary said that four ports were mentioned in the despatches received. In the first place the Memphis arrived at Ceiba at 12:35 this morning. Truxillo and Port Castillo have been mentioned as two places but they are in fact together, Port Castillo is the residential section of Truxillo. The U. S. S. Trenton is now on her way to that port but has not yet arrived. One of the United Fruit Company boats is also en route to Truxillo. The third port mentioned is Tela and there is a United Fruit Company's boat there now. The fourth is Cortez and the Marblehead is on her way there from Guantanamo, Cuba. There are said to be 300 Americans at Ceiba, 242 at Castillo, 333 at Tela and 372 at Cortez, making a total of 1,252 in the disturbed areas of Honduras. The Secretary then read the substance of despatches from our Minister to Honduras, Mr. Julius G. Lay, which were to the effect that a revolutionary movement broke out yesterday in the interior of the Tela, Port Castillo and Truxillo districts. The Vice Consuls at those places, believing that sizable bodies of armed men were advancing on the port and believing that American lives and property were in danger, sent out a request for American warships. It was on that request that the movements of Naval vessels above mentioned were made. In the Tela district a force estimated at two hundred men occupied Progreso and vicinity. They robbed the Bank of Honduras and requisitioned arms, railroad and other stock. The force advanced from Tela as far as Urico, a distance of about forty miles. It appears that the Honduran Government regained possession of Progreso. The port of Cortez is as yet unaffected. No permanent military or political leaders have yet been identified with this movement which seems to be made up entirely from the unemployed, the communists and the riffraff and criminals of North Honduras. No revolutionary forces have approached nearer than thirty miles to the ports mentioned and it is believed that the uprising will soon fade out. Our Consuls have been instructed to take appropriate measures for the protection of Americans and other foreign lives and property and to suggest to the managers of the fruit companies at the ports mentioned to keep their steamships within reach for the evacuation of Americans and other foreigners if it becomes necessary. Wherever possible American women have been brought out from the interior points by the fruit companies. They have informed the Consuls of all European Powers in Tegucigalpa that American Consuls will do all that they can to protect their nationals. They are in constant consultation with the authorities and the representatives of the United and Standard Fruit Companies. A correspondent asked if the Secretary would make a comparison between the present situations in Honduras and in Nicaragua. The Secretary then read the following paragraph from a press release which was issued yesterday: "The situation in Honduras is different from that in Nicaragua as there is apparently a revolutionary movement against the Honduran Government. The American forces will limit themselves to making provisions for the safety of American lives and property in the coast towns." For information and background only the Secretary said that our forces in Honduras have to be very careful not to take sides between the two contending forces, the revolutionary and those of the Government, and the forces which land must confine themselves very strictly to the protection of American and foreign lives and property and are not to take any part in the domestic warfare of Honduras. A correspondent then asked if that statement was not tantamount to the recognition of the state of war. The Secretary said that it had nothing to do with the question of recognition of belligerency and that it was only the part of prudence when a foreign force lands in a country where there is combat and where the combatants are not attacking Americans not to take any part in the quarrel whatever. That is different from the situation in Nicaragua where outlaws are attacking our people. The correspondent then asked if we were not according them the status of belligerents, to which the Secretary replied that we were merely keeping out of the way of two people who were fighting. In answer to a question as to whether there was any indication of a connection between the rebels in Honduras and the bandits in Nicaragua, the Secretary said that on the contrary it had been known for a long time that there was an acute situation from an economic and labor viewpoint in Honduras and that the conditions were such that trouble might have come at any moment. A correspondent said that as a result of the action in Nicaragua last week, particularly the refusal of the United States to employ Marines in the interior, there has come to be what is known as a new Administration policy and he enquired if that would be carried out in Honduras. The Secretary replied that the correspondent's premise was incorrect, making the discussion of that point unnecessary. The statement which was given to the press on Saturday contained all that the Secretary desired to say at that time. M. J. MCDERMOTT 814.00/1065: Telegram The Secretary of State to the Minister in Guatemala (Whitehouse) WASHINGTON, April 21, 1931-7 p. m. 16. Legation's 29, April 20, 11 a. m. Please state orally and informally to the Guatemalan Minister for Foreign Affairs that this Government has learned with especial gratification of the action of the Guatemalan authorities in restraining General Filiberto Diaz Zelaya and companions from entering into the present insurrectionary movement in Honduras from Guatemalan territory. By taking this action the Government of Guatemala has set a praiseworthy example in the observance not only of the General Treaty of Peace and Amity of 19231 but of intrinsic good neighborliness. The Department feels that this Government may appropriately express the foregoing sentiments because of its keen interest in the maintenance of peace, and because of its adherence to the general principles of that Treaty. STIMSON 1 General Treaty of Peace and Amity, signed February 7, 1923, Conference on Central American Affairs, p. 287. 815.00 Revolutions/12: Telegram The Minister in Honduras (Lay) to the Secretary of State TEGUCIGALPA, April 21, 1931-11 p. m. [Received April 22-8: 40 a. m.] 65. The situation has changed little in the last 24 hours. No combats have been reported anywhere; the apparently small groups which rebelled in the Castilla and Ceiba Districts have scattered into the mountains of the interior. The largest rebel concentration has remained stationary astride the National Railway south of San Pedro Sula but is tonight reported to be moving northwest on to the Quimistan-San Pedro Sula highway possibly to effect junction with General Ferrera who has been persistently rumored to have aligned himself with the insurrectionists and is reported to have left his hiding place in San Pedro Sula and gone toward Quimistan. The Government is concentrating large reenforcements of untrained troops in the San Pedro Sula region for the protection of the town and a possible offensive tomorrow. The Marblehead arrived at Puerto Cortes this morning and its commanding officer made courtesy visits on the Honduran authorities at San Pedro Sula. Admiral Kempff arrived at Castilla on the Trenton this morning and called on the authorities of Truxillo. I requested that the Memphis, which is at Ceiba, make a visit to Tela where there exists high nervous tension. These visits are having a beneficial effect. The President of Honduras considers the timely arrest by the Guatemalan authorities of Diaz Zelaya, whom he considers one of his Government's most dangerous enemies, to have been most fortunate and helpful and expressed gratitude to the United States Legation at Guatemala for its good offices in effecting this move. LAY 815.00 Revolutions/14: Telegram The Minister in Honduras (Lay) to the Secretary of State TEGUCIGALPA, April 22, 1931—11 a. m. [Received 3: 45 p. m.] 66. The Honduran Government has notified Turnbull of United Fruit Company that from today it will withhold clearance to all his company's vessels now in Honduran ports in order that they may be at Government's disposal for troop movements. Turnbull has declined to permit the use of the company's vessels for military purposes until he receives instructions from the Boston office. Turnbull fears that in order to compel United Fruit Company to make available its steamers the Honduran Government will take over control company's railroad and rolling stock which would cripple company's operations |