Document – A Central American Diplomat Reports on William Walker (1857)

Washington, November 10, 1857.

The undersigned, minister plenipotentiary of the republics of Guatemala and of Salvador, has the honor of imparting to the Hon. Secretary of State of the United States that he has seen, in the public papers printed in these States, a letter addressed to his excellency, and said to be written by the Sonora and Nicaragua adventurer, William Walker, who has unduly arrogated the name of president of Nicaragua, by which he has never been recognized in the States of Central America, in any of the Spanish American republics, in this government of the United States, or in any other government of the world, and who never could have been president of that republic, because the Nicaraguan constitution excludes any one not a native of Central America from the exercise of the executive power of that State.

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Truly astonishing is the impudence with which this adventurer, expelled from Nicaragua by her forces and those of all the Central Americans, attempts to constitute himself the champion of Nicaragua. The man, whose course in that country was an exclusive one of assassination of the defenders of that country—the burner of whole villages, the spoiler of national property, the trampler on all rights, the plunderer of churches, the leader of the foreign stipendiaries which he gathered under his own banner—alone could have alleged his right of citizenship in Nicaragua, and thereby held as dunces all men else on earth.

This same man, without bitter insult on the common sense of mankind, could not have contrived a more absurd pretext under which to carry into effect the expedition, which he has levied to recover a treacherously usurped authority, than this claim, that his expedition is not one hostile to the country, but a peaceful colonizing enterprise! He himself has, time and again, and with characteristic impudence, published that his projected expedition looks to a recuperation of power in that country; whilst in the very letter attributed to him, and addressed to the honorable Secretary of the United States, he claims for himself the title of “Lawful Executive Power of Nicaragua.”

This is ample to prove that the expedition, composed of spurious colonists, is, in reality, one of soldiers moving with the design of supporting this dream-begotten legitimate executive power of the country. But whatever may be the character of this colonizer and of those colonists, under a new patent, they cannot set foot on the territory which they are about to invade, nor be there received, save as real pirates; because, in Nicaragua and in Costa Rica, as well as in the other republics of Spanish America, Walker is held in no other light than that of a traitor to the party which he went to serve in Nicaragua, of an usurper of the sovereignty of that country, of a blood-shedder, whose object was to destroy the defenders of their country; whilst his satellites were nothing else than accomplices of his crimes. In proof of this I transmit to the Secretary of State the decree of the 31st of August last, officially communicated to me by the minister of foreign relations of Nicaragua, by which it will be clearly seen that the expedition which Walker intends to lead into that county, under the appellation of colonists, will be received as an expedition of pirates; in view of which communication through the isthmus has been ordered to be foreclosed.

Neither in Nicaragua, nor in any republic of Central America, is any colony desired, formed by Walker, or by any other adventurer, who, like him, has dreamed of mastery over its lands, to divide them among his foreign followers. Experience amply teaches there, as well as here, that the thousands of individuals shipped as colonists for Nicaragua from New York and New Orleans during the course of the last two years went there with the exclusive aim of waging war against the natives of the land, under the command of an intrusive usurper. And if, with miserable cunning, they can battle the laws of the United States, which forbid the citizens of those States to disturb the peace of friendly nations, they will certainly not deceive now, as they never have been able to deceive, the Central Americans; and they must not complain of the fate that may befall them, however hard it may appear to them. Natural law imposes on the Central Americans the duty of making an example of the incorrigible violators of the laws of all the nations.

Walker never was, nor can he ever be, president of Nicaragua, or a citizen of that republic, from the time that he was declared to be a traitor to it; nor can any men that may be led by him, or any one else in his name, fail to be received and treated in any other manner than that due to bandits and pirates, by whatever name they may be known, or from whatever quarter they may come. This is a fact which grows out of authentic documents from the true executive power, national, and not foreign, of Nicaragua; and to this should the citizens of the United States rivet their attention, so that they may not venture to follow the private banner of the adventurer of Sonora and of Nicaragua.

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The undersigned, as minister plenipotentiary of Guatemala and of Salvador, and in his appointed capacity by the government of Nicaragua to represent her in the United States, cannot but protest against the contemplated expedition of colonization and peace to Nicaragua under the leadership of Walker; declaring that, as it cannot be received in that republic save as a hostile expedition, it shall be treated by the three States, Guatemala, Salvador, and Nicaragua, as one of real pirates. This the undersigned has deemed it his duty to bring to the knowledge of the government of the United States.

The undersigned improves this opportunity to tender to the Hon. Secretary of State renewed assurances of his very high consideration.

A. I. DE IRISARRI.

Hon. L. Cass,

Secretary of State of the United States.

Review:

1. 1. How does de Irisarri characterize Walker’s actions?

2. 2. To what extent does he feel that the U.S. government is responsible for his actions?

3. 3. What effect would this sort of behavior by Americans have had on relations with South American countries?