PREDICTION OF CHANGE IN GOVERNMENT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00423R001700740003-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 19, 1999
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: January 1, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

contains information affecting the
INFORMATfON R~ORT This m ere
f
National Defense National Defense of the United States within the
meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title 18, U. S. C.
PREPARED AND DISSEMINATED BY Secs. 739 and 794. the transmission or revelation
of which in any manner to an unauthorized per-
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY son is prohibited by law. 25XIA q
COUNTRY REPORT NO
Costa Rica
SUBJECT DATE DISTR
Prediction of Change in Government PAGES NO. OF ENCLS.
25X1 A W A ? '~ SWP I_ MENT TO REPORT #
PLACE ACQUIRED (By source)... RESPONSIVE TO
00/C-
ATE OF INFORMATION (Date or dates, on or between which,
events or conditions described in report existed)
early December 1954
SOURC
1. When I was in Costa Rica in early December 1954, Ihad the opportunity of
discussing the political situation there with a US national who is the
manager and owner of a company which operates a quick freeze tuna fish
base and plant at Puntarenas. He has been a resident of Costa Rica for
many years and. I consider him an exceedingly astute individual.
2. In response to my inquiry as to the political situation, he stated that he
confidently expects that President Jose Fi eras willl, not be able to con-
tinue in office to the end of his term. He as lost most of the support
of the Costa Ricans, mainly because he has become so cocky since he went
into office. His major accomplishments seem to be the raising of the
'wages of federal employees and increasing taxes to support these raises.
This, of course, hasn't made the rest of the populace'very happy and the
general feeling,, according to my informant, is that so much pressure will
be brought to bear upon Figueres in the next year or two that he will have
to step out. Although the feud between Figueres and. Nicaragua's Anastasio
Somoza Garcia is veil.-:known and very bitter, my informant feels that
Nicaraguan pressure will play only a minor role in the dislodgment of
Figueres
3. Figueres' predecessor Otilio Ulate Blanco, is enormously popular, but at
the present time /December 1954T, he is taking absolutely no direct in-
terest in politics. He probably considers this a wise course of action as
he no doubt assumes that he would be recalled to power in the event of
Figueres' ouster. Rafael Angel Calderon Guardia is popular, but he is a
political agitator and probably could not unite all factions.
This unevalnate inform ation for US Officials
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overseas unless concurrence of the originating office has been obtained through the Assistant Director for Collection and Dissemination, CIA.