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Mexican-Guatemalan Imbroglio: Fishery Rights and National Honor

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 December 2015

Thomas Wolff
Thomas Wolff*
Affiliation:
The University of Texas of the Permian Basin, Odessa, Texas
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Extract

At seven o'clock on the morning of December 31,1958, President Miguel Ydígoras Fuentes of Guatemala ordered his Air Force to bombard and sink vessels manned by Mexican nationals fishing clandestinely in his country's territorial waters. Simultaneously, his message was transmitted to Mexican and United States authorities in Guatemala. Ninety minutes later, after warning the fishermen through loudspeakers to proceed to the Guatemalan port of Champerico — announcements which brought only grimaces, lewd gestures, and attempted escape — the pilots strafed the flagless fishing boats, forcing one aground and two, the Elizabeth and the San Diego, to Champerico. Although the remainder of the fishing fleet was escorted by the Mexican Coast Guard to the Oaxacan port of Salina Cruz, seventeen casualties — three dead and fourteen wounded — resulted from the incident. While some of the injured Mexicans were hospitalized, ten of the survivors captured by Guatemalan authorities were incarcerated and subjected to military interrogation. Another of the progressively increasing number of inter-American fishing disputes was inexorably under way.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Americas , Volume 38 , Issue 2 , October 1981 , pp. 235 - 248
Copyright
Copyright © Academy of American Franciscan History 1981

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References

1 Guatemala, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Libro Blanco de Guatemala Sobre el Incidente 31 de Diciembre de 1958 (Guatemala City, February 1959, pp. 25–60). Cited hereafter as Libro Blanco. See also Hispano Americano (Mexico City), XXXIV: 870,5 (1959)and XXXIV: 871 (1959). Cited hereafter as HA. The New York Times, January 4, 1959, and January 10, 1959. El Imparcial (Guatemala City), January 1, 1959, and Prensa Libre (Guatemala City), January 1,1959, and Diario de Centro America (Guatemala City), January 1, 1959.

2 HA, XXXIV: 870, 5 (1959). Guatemalan authorities reported that only one was killed and several wounded. See diplomatic correspondence on this matter in Libro Blanco, pp. 9, 11, 16. The New York Times, January 1, 1959, reported one dead and two sailors wounded. Letter from Alfonso Herrera Salcedo, Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores, Mexico, May 24, 1967. (Cited hereafter as Mexico Letter.)

3 HA, XXXIV: 871, 7 (1959).

4 Libro Blanco, pp. 5, 16,89,92, 119, 120. The New York Times on December 30, 1958, reported that the threat of violence was not known in Mexico City. Also see HA, XXXIV: 870, 5 (1959) and XXXIV: 871, 5, for coverage of the shooting.

5 Libro Blanco, pp. 28,9–10, 119–120. HA. XXXIV: 871, 5 (1959) and XXXIV: 873,4(1959). The New York Times, January 19, 1959, and January 11, 1959.

6 HA, XXXIV: 871, 7 (1959).

7 HA. XXXIV: 871, 5-6 (1959). Also Mexican statement is included in Mexico Letter.

8 Libro Blanco, pp. 9, 83–85; Mexico Letter; The New York Times, January 11, 1959.

9 HA. XXXIV: 870 (1959) and XXXIV: 871, 6 (1959); Mexico Utter.

10 The New York Times, January 11, 1959. See also HA, XXXIV: 871, 6 (1959).

11 The New York Times, December 30, 1958; Ultimas Noticias (Mexico City), January 1, 1959; Libro Blanco, pp. 15–16.

12 HA. XXXIV: 872, 6(1959), XXXIV: 873, 5 (1959). The New York Times, January 31, 1959; HA. XXXIV: 874, 5 (1959). The New York Times. January 31, 1959; HA, XXXIV: 874, 5 (1959). Hispanic American Report. XII: 1, 9 (1959) (cited hereafter as HAR). HA, XXXIV: 874, 5 (1959) and XXXIV: 871, 5 (1959); The New York Times, January 4, 1959; Libro Blanco, pp. 11–12, 14; Diario de Centro America, January 23, 1959.

13 HA, XXXIV: 871, 8 (159). Since January 1, 1959, Mexico had demanded an apology from Guatemala for the shooting. The New York Times, January 1, 1959.

14 Ibid.; see also Libro Blanco, pp. 15–22

15 HA. XXXIV: 871, 8 (1959).

16 Libro Blanco, pp. 26–27.

17 Ibid. p. 27.

18 Libro Blanco, pp. 24, 35, 36, 37.

19 Pan American Union, Annals, 1:1, 91 (1949).

20 Ibid.

21 HA, XXXIV: 873, 6 (1959; HAR, XIII: 1, 13 (March 1959).

22 HA, XXXIV: 873, 6 (1959). The 1948 Pact of Bogota has never been ratified by Guatamala. Information from Miss Virginia Tejada, Vice-Consul for Guatemala, San Francisco, October 6, 1972.

23 Libro Blanco, pp. 28, 9–10, 119–120; HA, XXXIV: 871,5(1959)and XXXIV: 873,4(1959); The New York Times, January 10, 11, 1959; El Imparcial, January 24, 25, 1959; Prensa Libre (Guatemala City), January 24, 25, 1959; Diario de Centro America, January 26, 1959.

24 HA, XXXIV: 874, 5 (1959); Libro Bianco, pp. 125–127; The New York Times, January 27, 28, 1959; Diario de Centro America, January 26, 1959.

25 HA, XXXIV: 874, 6–7 (1959) and XXXIV: 875, 18 (1959); Diario de Centro America, January 27, 1959.

26 HA. XXXIV: 874, 7–8 (1959); Excelsior (Mexico City), January 28, 1959); Prensa Libre, January 28, 1959.

27 The resolution also included a section which censured Mexico’s rejection of an offer by El Salvador, the United States, Costa Rica and Brazil. See HAR, XIII: 3, 138 (1959). These mediation offers will be discussed later. In 1959, one source believed that Guatemala had an unfavorable trade balance with Mexico. It was estimated that in 1958 Guatemala imported goods from Mexico valued at $ 12,000,000 (mostly textiles and clothing) and sold Mexico less than $1,000,000 in goods. See The New York Times, January31, 1959. “During the months of broken relations, commerce had continued between the two countries; but Mexican exports to Guatemala had dropped to 23.9 million pesos in the first six months of 1959, as compared to 37.5 million pesos during the same period of 1958.” HAR, XII:9,478 (1959). Prensa Libre. January 27, 28, 1959; El Imparcial, January 27, 28, 1959.

28 The New York Times, January 1, 1959; HA, XXXIV: 872,4 (1959) and XXXIV: 873, 5 (1959); The New York Times, January 31, 1959; El Imparcial, January 20–31, 1975; Prensa Libre, January 20–31, 1959.

29 HA. XXXIV: 875, 19 (1959).

30 HA. XXXIV: 871, 7 (1959); The New York Times. January 8, 1959; HAR. XII, 9–10(1959).

31 Ibid.

32 HA, XXXIV: 874, 5 (1959).

33 The New York Times, January 26, 1959. It was about this time that the Guatemalan president placed his troops on an alert status. Excelsior, January 28, 1959; Prensa Libre, January 28, 1959; Diario de Centro America, January 28, 1959.

34 HAR. XII: 1, 14(1959).

35 Ibid

36 Interview with Dr. Wayne M. Clegern, Department of History, Colorado State University (April 22, 1972).

37 The New York Times, January 31, 1959.

38 For an interesting exchange between official representatives in New York over the issue, see The New York Times, February 4, 7, and 13, 1959; HAR. XII: 2, 79 (1959).

39 HAR, XII: 1, 18 (1959).

40 HA, XXXIV: 875, 19 (1959); El Imparcial, March 1–31, 1959; Prensa Libre, March 1959.

41 HAR, XII: 3, 138 (1959).

42 About this time Guatemalan officials stated they had received no proposals to mediate the problem. Guatemala was particularly interested in extraditing Cruz Wer because of his alleged torturing of political prisoners during the Arbenz years. HAR, XII: 3 (1959).

43 HA, XXXV: 905, 13 (1959); Excelsior, September 2, 1959.

44 HA, XXXV: 905, 13, 20 (1959) and XXXV: 906, 11 (1959); HAR, XII: 9, 478 (1959).

45 HA. XXXV: 905, 20 (1959).

46 lbid.; Mexico Letter; El Imparcial, September 15–16, 1959: Prensa Libre, September 15–16, 1959; Diario de Centro America, September 17, 1959.

47 HA, XXXV: 907, 18 (1959).

48 Mexico Letter; Diario de Centro America, September 17, 1959.

49 The New York Times, January 11, 1959. On November 15,1970, Guatemalan Air Force planes fired on 15 flagless vessels apparently attempting to land hostile forces near Las Lisas. Arizona Daily Star, November 16, 1970.

50 The New York Times, February 4, 1959.

51 The New York Times, September 16, 1959.

52 U.S., Department of State Bulletin, LXXIII: 1889, September 8, 1975, p. 355.