Letter from Indian Charge d’Affaires in Argentina on Guatemala

SECRET

FROM: G.J. Malik, Charge d’affaires, Argentina

TO: M.A. Husain, Joint Secretary, MEA

DATE: October 13, 1954

Letter: F.21-4/54/BA

…I am endeavoring to obtain a complete list of countries which have so far recognized the new regime in Guatemala; it is not very easy as all the countries of the world are not represented here but I am confident that, in due course, I shall get such a list. It will, however, not be quite comprehensive as there are a number of countries which have never taken the trouble to have any kind of contact with Guatemala and therefore are not interested in recent developments; this applies to some of the Eastern European countries which have never taken much interest in Latin America.

On the other hand, it seems to me that the article which appeared in the Times in August is now out of date. From all reports in the papers of these continents the Government of Colonel Castillo Armas has a good hold over Guatemala and is unlikely to be ousted. He has recently organized elections and thereby secured that measure of popular support which is considered sufficient in Latin American countries.

Your last paragraph suggests that the Government of India does not like to recognize Governments in too great a hurry lest they should prove unstable; I am afraid this is not a realistic approach as far as South America is concerned because then some countries might be permanently without recognition! As I have mentioned elsewhere the average duration of a Government in Bolivia since the foundation of the Republic has been less than a year.