Lt. Tomás Méndez, San José.
 
     As soon as you receive this letter inspect all that line and that of San Albino, to find out which is the route or true direction being followed by the machos, and report any news regarding the control of our camp and fortress; and as soon as you know the reality, come or submit a report to this command immediately.
 
Patria y Libertad,
 
El Chipote.  12 de enero 1928.
 
Col. and Chief of Arms     /s/   Coronado Maradiaga
 

Notes:

•   This commission led to the death of Tomás Méndez two days later, on Jan. 14, 1928, shot & killed by Lt. Donald McDonald near San Fernando, as noted at the top of the translated Méndez correspondence in RG127/221/1; curiously, the Marine report for this event has not been found; see the related PC-Docs for early January 1928, and the wounding of Lt. McDonald on Jan. 21 as listed in the Marine Corps Casualties in Nicaragua.

•   xxx