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Ian Roxborough, New
York, New York
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Subject: Sandino
Dear Michael Schroeder,
I have just come across your website on the
Sandino period, and want to thank you for the
immense effort you have put in to make these
documents easily accessible.
I am in the early stages of a comparative study
of several instances of US and UK military
occupation, Nicaragua being one of the cases. I
read your chapter in the Close Encounters
volume, enjoyed it immensely, and was searching
for other things by you when I ran across your
web site.
I haven't yet had the time to do more than
glance at some of the documents you have posted.
Nevertheless, I wanted to express my
appreciation.
sincerely,
Ian Roxborough
Professor of History and Sociology
Dept of Sociology
Stony Brook University
NY 11794-4356
Friday, January 1, 2010
Re: Sandino
Dear Prof Roxborough,
Thanks very much for your kind words on my
website. I'm very glad you found it useful for
your work, that's the whole point. I still need
to upgrade the software (and create a
Spanish-language version toggle) but for the
life of me I can't seem to figure out this
newfangled Cascading Style Sheet / Dynamic Web
Template business -- looks like I'm going to
need to hire a professional to tutor me in the
basics so I can do it on my own. But it's a fun
& interesting project and I'm grateful that
folks like you are finding it useful. Thanks for
taking the time to send me your note of
appreciation, it is much appreciated on this
end.
Good luck on your project & if you have any
critical comments about the site's aesthetics,
design, organization, content, etc., I'd be very
happy to hear what you think.
Happy New Year,
Mike
Michael Schroeder
Annville PA
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Gilbert Ortiz,
California
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Subject: Website
Here is a document from the '27 conflict...
It was during the second attack that Private
Obleski was killed by a sniper
from an adjoining wall. This sniper was killed
by Sergeant Ollie R.
Blackburn with fire from his pistol and was
found with four forty-five
calibre bullet wounds in his head and neck.
Had this in my files. All the best, Gil Ortiz
December 23, 2009
Re: Website
Dear Gil Ortiz,
Thank you so much for sending me this document,
which with your permission I will publish on the
Sandino website. Please accept my sincere
gratitude and my best wishes for the New Year.
Warm Regards,
Michael
Michael Schroeder
Annville Pennsylvania, USA
for
www.SandinoRebellion.com
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Sergio Mayorga-Mercado,
Nicaragua
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
document request from sandino homepage MISc
Dear Mr. Schroeder,
I found you site very educative and informative
on the Sandino rebellion. My uncles fought under
Sandino and under the Guardia Nacional. Brothers
against bothers, it caught my attention that
under the misc document M_DOCS there is a report
about my uncle Jose Maria Mercado.
29.09.13 Darnal Chinandega AC, W.Area Jose Maria
Mercado, Sandinista, Report on 1 209/7
how can I obtain a copy of the report? It will
give me light on my uncle service under Sandino.
My uncle used to tell us about his years under
the lidership of Sandino. he is now long gone,
and I will appreciate any information about him.
I was born in Ocotal, Nueva Segovias.
Thanks,
Sergio Mayorga-Mercado
Monday, December 28, 2009
Re: document request from sandino homepage
MISc
Dear Sergio,
I am attaching a .jpg file of the document you
asked about that includes information on your
uncle Jose Maria Mercado. The source for the
document is:
United States National Archives, Record Group
127, Entry 209, Box 7.
I checked through my other documents and found
one other reference to your uncle. It is from a
file in Record Group 127, Entry 202, Box 16,
File 76, titled "National Penitentiary,
Managua. Records of Prisoners, Casefiles,
Special Orders from 18 September 1928 to
February 19, 1931." In this file, there is a
letter dated 20 November 1929 from the
Comandante to the Jefe Director of the Guardia
Nacional, with the subject "Bandit Prisoners."
It includes the following brief reference to
your uncle:
"The following bandit prisoners are now confined
in the National Penitentiary: .... S-17 ....
Mercado, Jose Maria. Received Sept. 27, Jefe
Director telegram, 15426, Sept."
That is all it says. Evidently he was confined
in the National Penitentiary in Managua starting
Sept. 27, 1929. I have found no record of his
release, though that information is probably
somewhere in the US National Archives in the
Records of the Guardia Nacional de Nicaragua
(Record Group 127).
Your uncle sounds like a fascinating character.
If you have any information about him or other
family members that you would like to share and
permit me to publish on the website, I would be
very happy to do that.
I hope this helps you to better understand the
role that your uncle Jose Maria Mercado played
in the Sandino rebellion and US Marine
intervention in your homeland.
Please accept my best wishes for a Blessed New
Year for you and your family,
Warm regards,
Michael
Michael Schroeder
Annville, Pennsylvania, USA
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C. B., Florida
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Subject: Sale of Sandino Letter
Dear Mr Schroeder,
 I
am the owner letter written by Sandino. I would
like to sell it. My Mother was given this letter
by her friend a retire Colonel in the Spanish
military. Apparently, the Colonel was given this
letter after forty of service to the King of
Spain Juan Carlos by the King of Spain.
Unfortunately, we must sell this letter but we
would like to see it preserved and shared with
others. Finding a buyer among the Sandinistas
seems rather likely but it also means that the
letter would like vanish from the pages of
history. Enclosed is a photo of the letter and
more photos can be provided if there is an
interest. Thank in advance for anything that may
help facilitate the sale of this letter.
Sincerely,
C.B.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Re: Sale of Sandino Letter
Dear C.B.,
How much?
Thank you,
Michael Schroeder
Monday, October 19, 2009
Re: Sale of Sandino Letter
Dear Mr. Schroeder,
Apologies,for late response- limited Internet
access. I am looking for $11,000 dollars for the
letter. This negotiable. Additionally the letter
can be delivered at anytime when we have an
agreement.
Sincerely,
C.B.
October 21, 2009
Re: Sale of Sandino Letter
Dear C.B.,
Eleven thousand dollars is a little out of my
league. I'd be willing to pay around $100.
That's about what it's worth, in my professional
estimation. Its quality appears poor, with
severe stains in the middle, and letters signed
by Sandino are not terribly rare. I'd also be
willing to pay, say, $50 for a high resolution
digital photograph. In case you wish to donate
the letter to a Nicaraguan archive or museum so
that it become part of humanity's common stock
of knowledge, I would suggest the Instituto de
Historia de Nicaragua y Centroamérica (IHNCA),
housed in the Universidad Centroamericana (UCA)
in Managua...
Regards,
MS
Thursday, October 22, 2009,
Re: Sale of Sandino Letter
Dear Mr. Schroeder,
Thank you for your honest appraisal. I was
shocked at the value you suggested. One hundred
dollars hardly seems worth the time needed to
pack and ship the letter to you. The framing of
the letter cost me $150 back in the 90's. As far
charging you for a digital photo, you can have
the photo for free. Feel free to upload to your
excellent website. I need no credit or citation.
C.B.
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Hector Perla, Santa
Cruz, California
Monday, July 13, 2009
Sandino Rebellion
Dear Dr. Schroeder,
I just recently came across your website
"SandinoRebellion." I wanted to take this
opportunity to thank you for launching such an
important endeavor! I am a political scientist
(in the Latin American & Latino Studies
department at University of California, Santa
Cruz) currently working on finishing my book on
the FSLN's transnational resistance strategies
to Reagan's efforts to overthrow them. I have a
brief historical chapter that includes the
Sandino period and both your articles and
archival sources are extremely helpful. I am
particularly interested in the anti-imperialist
committees that formed against the Marine
occupation in the US & internationally (any
additional suggestions/insight on this would be
greatly appreciated).
Beyond that I think your website will serve as
an invaluable resource that I can pass along to
my many undergraduates (especially
Nicaraguan-American students) who know very
little of this history, but want to discover it.
I also noticed that you cited some sources from
the Leatherneck from Alden Library... my first
teaching position out of grad school was at Ohio
University as the Latin Americanist after Tom
Walker's semi-retirement. But Ohio was
geographically & culturally a long way from
family and community, and I took a position here
at UCSC last year.
Lastly, I take the liberty to pass along one of
my articles that may be of interest to you. It
tries to document the agency of Central
Americans both in the diaspora and in their home
countries in the formation of the US Central
American Peace/Solidarity Movement of the 80s.
Thank you for your attention.
Best wishes,
Hector
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Re: Sandino Rebellion
Dear Hector,
Thank you so much for your very kind note, and
for your article that you so kindly sent along
with it -- both were most welcome. In fact I am
in Nicaragua as we speak, here to observe the
30th Anniversary of the Sandinista Triumph on
Sunday, and to dig a little more in the local
archives. Interestingly, I just learned that the
Nicaraguan Army has taken control of the
interviews with old-time Sandinistas conducted
by the (now defunct) Instituto de Estudio del
Sandinismo in the early 1980s, and I was just
granted permission by them to conduct additional
research in their archives -- so I´m pretty
psyched (as I´m sure you know, it´s hard gaining
access to this stuff unless one has personal
connections, so this comes as something of a
welcome surprise).
In any case, I´m very glad you find the website
of interest -- in fact in the near future I´ll
be totally revamping it, because the software
(Microsoft Frontpage 2003) is antiquated and the
website itself needs a major facelift -- so any
constructive criticisms you have of its layout,
design, organization, aesthetics, or anything
else, I´m all ears (e.g., I´m going to jettison
the background of crinkly paper ... seemed like
a good idea at the time). I expect to begin
revamping it upon my return from Nicaragua in
late July, and to continue through the academic
year as time permits.
So thanks again for your very kind note and I
look forward to reading your piece and to being
in touch.
Saludos de Managua,
Mike
Michael Schroeder
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Carlos Correa,
Marseille, France
Friday, May 22, 2009
Subject: About Sandino...-
Dear Dr. Schroeder, recently by chance (the
magic of google i guess), I found your
extraordinary website sandinorebellion.com. I am
a Nicaraguan activist and a student of Sandino's
cause, so I took the liberty to link your site
to my small homage to Sandino at
http://www.carloscorea.com/sandino.html.
Basically all this excessive writing is to ask
you two things:
1. linking to your site...is it ok for you? Can
I have your authorization?
2. Adding to my luck, I also found out you are
the author of a seminal paper on the 1920's
Nicaraguan political arena "Horse Thieves to
Rebels to Dogs: Political Gang Violence and the
State of the Western Segovias, Nicaragua in te
Time of Sandino, 1927-1934". I got a copy while
i was in college in California...then went back
to Nicaragua...then France...so needless to say,
I don't have that copy anymore and i can't find
it in the web. Would it be possible to get a
copy from you?
Finally and sorry for taking your time (this is
almost spam!), regarding your next book on
Sandino, if you need to go to Nicaragua for
further research, I will be more than happy to
help you with anything you need (contacting
people, access to some libraries, etc.).
Currently I am serving as the Designated
Nicaraguan Ambassador in Paris, and it occurs to
me that our embassy may facilitate for you some
of what I have mentioned in this email. So,
estoy a la orden para servirle
Thank you, fraterno
Carlos Corea L.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Re: About Sandino...
Estimado Carlos,
Muchisimas gracias por su mensaje. Of course you
have my permission to link to the site - the
more links the better! And yes, I would be happy
to send you a copy of my JLAS article on "Horse
Thieves to Rebels to Dogs" - in fact I've been
meaning to get that article translated into
Spanish but I need a professional translator.
Also, you might be interested in the chapter I
wrote called "The Sandino Rebellion Revisited"
in the "Close Encounters of Empire" volume
edited by Gilbert Joseph et al. Finally there's
the article on the air war in Nicaragua,
published in 2007 in International History
Review. I'm still working on my book
manuscript but hope to have it completed &
published in a few years.
In short, I will be happy to mail you copies of
these articles. Is this your correct address?:
Carlos Corea
xxx
Marseille, France
I'm also planning on going to Nicaragua this
July to observe the public commemoration of the
30th anniversary of the Triumph of the
Sandinista Revolution ... The website is
intended as a kind of documentary annex to my
book in progress. As you know, the history of
Sandino and his movement is so wrapped up in
myth and legend that in my view it will be
useful to have an authoritative website with
original documents so that people can do their
own research on the topic and come to their own
conclusions about what happened, what it all
means, etc.
So thank you again for your message and I look
forward to hearing from you.
Best regards,
Mike
Michael Schroeder
Monday, May 25, 2009
Re: About Sandino...
Estimado Dr. Schroeder, thank you for your
reply.
Regarding your paper "Horse Thieves to Rebels to
Dogs":
* That is my address in Marseille, France. Thank
you much for sending your paper to me.
* We could do a translation in Nicaragua by a
professional translator-free of charge of course
(there is no fine print here...I will distribute
your paper among nica people interested on
Sandino-just to further knowledge on our
history-completely respecting your rights as an
author.
Regarding your trip to Nicaragua for the 30
Aniversario:
* I you agree, I will send information about
your trip to Dr. Orlando Núñez-Asesor Social del
Presidente Ortega, to see if he can manage to
have you as a guest for the
celebrations-invitation to the ceremonies, etc.
* Perhaps you guys can arrange some sort of
talks on Sandino, and possibilities for
publishing in Nicaragua, etc.
As you may know, the FSLN archives were divided
among el Instituto de Historia and the Army
Military Archives, so you might be interested on
having access to the Army archives too. If you
are-I am assuming you are, we can also, arrange
that. But first things first, so if you agree, I
could let Dr. Núñez know about your coming to
Nicaragua.
Un saludo,
Carlos Corea
May 25, 2009
Re: About Sandino ...
Estimado Carlos,
Muchisimas gracias por su mensaje y su oferta de
pasar la información sobre mi viaje a Nicaragua
a Dr. Núñez -- I would be delighted! Thank you
so much. I will mail the three articles I
mentioned to your address in Marseille tomorrow
(today is Memorial Day & the Post Office is
closed .... ) I'd also be delighted to have my "Horse
Thieves" article translated into Spanish &
published in a Nicaraguan venue -- and, if you &
others think it worthy, my chapter in the "Close
Encounters" volume (1998), which I think stands
with the "Horse Thieves" piece as the best thing
I've published so far on the rebellion and how
to interpret it historically.
In any case, my response to your very kind offer
is Yes, please do get in touch with Dr. Núñez
and we can take it from there. Just to let you
know, I am planning to go to Sao Paulo, Brazil
around the third week of June and am hoping to
arrive in Nicaragua around the second week of
July.
Gracias otra vez, y un saludo fraterno a usted,
Mike
NOTE: Correspondence
continued into the coming weeks & months ...
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William Alvarez,
Atlanta, Georgia
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Sandino Rebellion
Dr. Schroeder,
I would like to take this time to thank you for
your Sandino website. I am just beginning a
personal study of the history of Nicaragua and
of Sandino in particular. I find Sandino's life
and exploits fascinating. He has become one of
my heros (I am not Nica and am a Marine-Ironic)
but I find it difficult to find information on
him. Discovering your site was like finding a
burried treasure. Your site will be an asset in
my study of Nicaragua and Sandino. Again, from
the bottom of my heart, Thank You.
Semper Fidelis
William Alvarez
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Re: Sandino Rebellion
Dear William,
Thank you so much for your very kind note about
my Sandino Rebellion website. I know it's pretty
skeletal right now, but at some point in the
future I hope it'll be the definitive website on
the topic. In fact I just received a grant from
my college to work with students on developing
the site -- I need to ramp up the software,
incorporate maps & timelines, do all kinds of
things -- but it's getting there. So thank you
very much for your kind and inspiring words, and
please let me know if I can be of any assistance
in your research.
Best regards,
Mike
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Linda John, San
Francisco, California
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Subject: mil gracias!
Michael,
A Nicaraguan artist friend just forwarded me
your website. I've read enough to know that it
is like finding gold on the moon!
I am a haircutter/barber in San Francisco (but
native minnesotan) who traveled to Nicaragua
from 1984 on, to simply see "how they did it." I
returned again and again, to live with ordinary
people, follow their lives, and of course the
life of the revolutionary project. I have many
friends an customers with their own experiences,
loves and tales of Nicaragua. But all of us, now
in the 'autumn' years, are feeling the weight of
what we carry, as we realize that we may be
among the last for generations to come who had
the privilege of meeting and sharing with people
who had risked all and amazingly won, and had a
brief period to try to create a new way of life.
And now, the past - both the Sandinista history
of the 30's and the 80's - is being erased and
banned in Nicaragua. Which is why your work is
so valuable!
The young women and men who committed to live or
die in an effort to rid the country of Somoza
were fortified and inspired over and over again
by Sandino and the first 'ejercito loco." They
excavated what they could of that buried
history, and then they MADE history in their own
time. So, i just want to say THANK YOU for all
the work you have done and especially for making
it accessible to all and to the future. (and i
loved your version of Mao's quote!)
Linda John
Monday, October 13, 2008
Re: mil gracias!
Dear Linda,
Thank you so much for your
very kind note on my Sandino rebellion website
-- it's very gratifying to know that folks are
stumbling into it and finding it useful. I
really appreciate your words & comments.
Best wishes,
Michael
September 13, 2008
Re: mil gracias!
Hi Linda,
Greetings from Annville PA! I'm writing because
this morning I took the liberty of publishing
excerpts from the very kind note you sent me
last year; it appeaers on the homepage of the
Sandino Rebellion website (www.sandinorebellion.com)
and I just wanted to get your approval before
keeping it there. Thank you!
Blessings & Solidarity,
Michael Schroeder
September 14, 2008
re: mil gracias!
you have my heartfelt
approval!
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Richard C. DeBold,
Higganum, Connecticut
September 2, 2008
Subject: Sandino
From: Richard C. DeBold
Dear Dr. Schroeder,
I have only recently begun to explore your web
site devoted to the Sandino Rebellion.
About seven years ago, I wrote a fictionalized
version of the war, based on stories told to me
by an actual Marine participant. I called the
Novel The Banana Shooter.
In almost all aspects, my book agrees with your
published history of the events. But I surely
wish I had your research available at the time I
wrote. My reliance on my memory of stories and
cursory research in the LOC and NAUSA did not
really do the subject justice.
You might enjoy visiting the books web site:
www.bananashooter.com
If you have any interest, I would be pleased to
send you a complimentary copy.
Best wishes,
Dick DeBold, HHB
IN MEMORIUM
Richard C. Debold died on
29 June 2010 at 82 years of age. Here is
his obituary from the Middletown Press of
Middletown, CT:
DEBOLD, Richard C.
Richard C. DeBold, 82, of Saybrook Rd.,
Higganum, husband of Marjorie (Warren) DeBold,
passed away Tuesday (June 29, 2010) at his home.
He was born in the Bronx, NY, the son of the
late William and Emma (Herzog) DeBold and was a
veteran of the U.S. Navy. Richard received his
PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.
He retired as a teacher from Long Island
University; he was an author, publisher and
fisherman.
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Joyce Onion,
South Carolina
August 8, 2008
Subject: Information about my
Father
First of all I must tell you how valuable your
site has been to me. I can see you have worked
very hard to compile this information. Its been
very informative.
My Father served in Nicaragua between 1928 to
1931. He was stationed in Managua. I am trying
to find out any information I can about his
action or duty at the time but don't know how to
go about it. I have a few letters he wrote while
stationed there.
If you could be of help I
would appreciate it. His name and
information is as follows:
Albert R. Fisher
Co.C Electoral Detachment
2nd Brigade
Managua, Nicargua
I have searched your site but came up empty.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Joyce Onion
August 12, 2008
Subject: Re: Information about my Father
Dear Joyce,
Thanks for you note and I'm glad you found the
Website on the Sandino rebellion useful, to be
honest your father's name does not ring a bell
but that's not surprising since there were so
many Americans in Nicaragua in the 20s and 30s.
Unfortunately there's not an easy way to find
information about his activities there,
doubtless his name appears on numerous documents
but one has to actually go through them to find
it -- I might suggest that you get in touch with
the Gray Research Center in Quantico VA, which
is the central repository for Marine Corps
history -- though if your father was a civilian
attached to the electoral commission it's
doubtful that there's any information on him
there. The best I can do is to jot his name down
and remember it, and as I go through the
documents in the future I'll keep an eye peeled
for ALBERT R. FISHER and hopefully his name will
pop up and I'll let you know. The other thing
you might try is to order the microfilm of the
State Dept records via interlibrary loan (public
libraries will borrow this stuff for you) and go
through the microfilm to see if his name pops up
there. If you're interested in doing that I'll
send you the specific information about which
reels & group number to request. So let me know,
and otherwise sorry I can't be of more help
right now, but as I say I'll tuck his name into
my brain and keep my eye out for it in the
future and let you know if I find anything.
Good luck with your research & thanks again for
your note,
Mike
Michael Schroeder for
www.SandinoRebellion.com
August 13, 2008
Subject: Re: Information
about my Father
Dear Mike,
Thank You so much for even
answering my note. My Dad was not a civilian, he
was in the Marine Corp. from 1927 to 1931 and
was in Nicaragua. His address was:
Albert R. Fisher
Co. C Electoral Detachment
2nd Brigade
Managua Nicaragua
This is difficult information to get as you
know. I have been trying to wade through the
Marine Corp files with much difficulty. My Dad
has been deceased since 1975 and he never really
talked much about his service life.
He was a orphan and had little family to write
to but I do have a few letters he had written
while stationed there. He was always a private
man, never talking about himself, I think he
felt no one would ever be interested.
If it wouldn't be to much of a problem to send
the reel and group numbers I would appreciate it
very much. And should his name pop up, could you
please let me know.
Thank you so much for your time.
Sincerely,
Joyce Onion
Dear Joyce,
Thanks for your note, if you could give me a
couple of weeks to get this information to you
I'd appreciate it ...
Also, if you live anywhere near Washington DC
you might think about making the trip yourself
and looking through Record Group 127, which is
housed in the National Archives in DC and is the
record group for Marine Corps records -- it's
pretty amazing material to go through -- and in
the meantime I would suggest getting in touch
with the Gray Research Center in Quantico just
to see if he left any personal papers -- Here's
the homepage for the Library:
http://www.mcu.usmc.mil/MCRCweb/library.htm
...
Best,
Mike
August 15, 2008
Dear Mike,
Thanks for answering. ... Please take your time
as I am in no hurry for anything. I'm retired
now, although you wouldn't know it as I am
busier then ever.
I am totally indebted to you for the information
you have already given me per your web site and
e-mail.
Its great you will be closer
to the repositories. I will be looking forward
to new information on your site as you expand
it. I have already copied much of it to read at
my leisure. Hope you don't mind.
Finding your site has been such a blessing to
me. I can only imagine how much work it has been
for you. If you don't mind my asking, what
inspired you to take on such an ambitious
project?
I don't live anywhere near Washington. I live in
the sunny south, SC to be exact. I'm sure
looking through those old records would be
impressive as well as exciting. I will get a
hold of the web site you have given me. And
thanks so much for your help. ...
God Bless,
Joyce
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Hello Michael,
I am sending you some info
that my Aunt JOYCE ONION asked me to send to you
concerning my grandfather Albert Fisher during
his duty in Nicaragua. From what I read in your
emails to my aunt, I really do not think that
what we have is what you are looking for. All I
have is one letter and a couple of pictures.
Below is the letter. Thank you,
Jennifer
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From: Albert Fisher To:
Alice Pettit
Co. C Electoral Detachment Fleming, Ohio
2ond Brigade
Monogua Nicaragua Aug 10 or 11, 1930
Dear Mother,
I am back to Nic again. The country has not run
away. It is still the same old land of Monona I
think I am going to my cantone in about two more
weeks.
They have been teaching us Spanish and Electoral
laws for over a month. It is all very easy for
me as I was through it before in the Election of
1928. Was transfered from the East coast detail.
That was better for me. As that was the worst
outfit I ever did duty with. I got eighteen
hours extra duty before I left them. I sure
could not express my opinion of them top sgt. on
paper. I left a lot of old friends tho when I
left them one fellow I had did duty with almost
everywhere I was stationed. There was 16 of us
shonghied. So I was not alone. This is a good
outfit I am with now. I have did duty with
almost all of them off and on.
There was a bad accident happened about a week
ago in the blue jacket Batallion right across
from my tent row. This is the first time for
these blue jackets in Nic. They are here on
Electoral duty. As there was not enough Marines.
One of them was playing with his pistol and shot
his bunkie with in a fraction of an inch of the
heart. The bunkie kicked up two or three times
and died. It sure goes hard with the fellow he
will get about two or three yrs for man
slaughter.
We get radio grams from the states that tell all
the news of the day. These are published on the
bullitin boards. I have been reading these, and
got some very serious news of the drought all
through the central states as far south as the
Carolinas I have been some worried about you. In
quantico the Post water works almost completly
dried up. They are hauling water down to them by
tugs from Washington. They also have sent 700
home on furlougs. In other places it is just as
bad. I certainly hope some of this rain were
getting would go your way. The gooks don’t need
it any longer. Their fruit and corn is developed
plenty bueno for them. In fort we are eating
roasting ears in the mess. In the train coming
up I seen plenty of corn in full tossel.
Tell Flora and the rest of the family I said
hello. I got 10 mo and a bit to do now, getting
short.
I hope you luck from the War department. You are
the only one that could get it. If such a thing
can be done.
I came do on the Mississippi a battleship. Your
letter came on the same ship. I was on her 3
days so was your letter. But did not get it till
I hit Monogua. So please excuse this delay in
reply. I must close.
With love
your son Albert
_small.jpg)
|
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Patrick McNamara,
Brooklyn, New York
Monday, June 16, 2008
Sandino Rebellion
From: Patrick McNamara
Dear Dr. Schroeder:
I have been reading and admiring your website on
the Sandino Rebellion. I am also looking forward
to reading your new book on the subject.
Recently I discovered a photo album that
belonged to my grandfather Thomas McNamara
(1908-1966), when he was a Marine in Nicaragua
in the late 1920's. There's about 40 photos or
so. The family tradition has it that he ran away
from his home in Queens, lied about his age and
joined the Marine Corps. I guess this was about
1925. I found him listed in Ancestry.com. He was
sent to Nicaragua and was there about 1927. I
guess that's when the pictures were taken. As a
historian, my guess is that there aren't many
such collections out there.
I have scanned the photos and burned them to a
CD, and would be glad to send you a copy if you
wouldn't mind looking at them. I have no
interest in their monetary value, but I would
like to to get a little better appreciation of
their significance. But this is not my area of
expertise. ... I belive he was stationed with
the third battalion of the fifth Marines in
Matagalpa in 1927 if that helps at all.
Thanks for any help you could give.
Sincerely,
Patrick McNamara
Patrick J. McNamara, Ph.D.
Assistant Archivist
R.C. Diocese of Brooklyn
310 Prospect Park West
Brooklyn, NY 11212
Monday, June 16, 2008
Re: Sandino Rebellion
Dear Patrick,
Thanks very much for your note and your kind
words on my website. The photos taken by your
grandfather sound intriguing, and I would be
delighted to take a look at them to give you my
best sense of their historical value. If you'd
be so kind as to mail me a copy I'd gladly pay
for postage and any other associated costs. ...
As you've probably gathered from perusing my
website, it's my goal to use the site as a
public repository for documents, including
photos, relating to this topic (needless to say,
I don't make any money off of it -- it's not a
commercial site, but one intended only to make
these materials publicly available). So after I
look over your photos and give you my best
assessment of their historical value, and with
your permission, I'd be delighted to publish
them on the site, with all due credit given to
you & your grandfather, of course.
Thanks again for your note and I look forward to
hearing from you.
Best regards,
Mike
Michael Schroeder
Ann Arbor, MI
site administrator,
www.SandinoRebellion.com
.
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Barry Carr,
Victoria, Australia
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Subject: Hi and
congratulations on your Sandino web site
From: Barry Carr
Hi Michael
Just been browsing your extraordinary Sandino
web site. And I just had to
email you to send you my congratulations. Its an
extraordinary achievement
and will be immensely useful to scholars and
activists and..
Keep up the good work.
Barry carr
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Subject: Hi and
congratulations on your Sandino web site
Hi Barry,
Thanks very much for your note, that means a lot
coming from you. I'm hoping to get funding for
it because it's a time sink as you might imagine
- I haven't officially announced it on H-Net or
anything because it's not in good enough shape
yet - but maybe soon. Anyway thanks boatloads
for your words of support --
Peace,
Mike
Michael:
You deserve the good words! I look forward to
keeping track of its contents.
Barry
[Correspondence ongoing ... ]
.
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Walter Castillo
Sandino, Managua, Nicaragua
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Subject: Muy estimado
Profesor Schroeder
Estimado Profesor:
Reciba Usted en nombre de mi Sra. Madre Blanca
Segovia Sandino (única hija del General Augusto
C. Sandino) y en el mío propio todo el respeto y
admiración por el trabajo que ha realizado sobre
nuestro padre y abuelo respectivamente, “The
Sandino Rebellion in Nicaragua”.
Nos parece sumamente interesante e importante se
de a conocer a las futuras generaciones la
veracidad de lo ocurrido, pues yo en lo personal
he dedicado toda mi vida para investigar y
conocer todo lo relacionado con la vida y obra
de mi Abuelo.
Seria para mi un gran honor tener el privilegio
de poder conocerlo personalmente algún día y dar
continuidad a ese grandioso trabajo que Usted ya
ha comenzado. Yo le pudiera asegurar que al
igual que mi abuelo, pienso que Uds. representan
a la clase democrática de ese hermano País, y
que tienen el todo el derecho y la obligación de
conocer la verdadera historia de su patria y los
sacrificios de sus antepasados. Cuando medio
desnudos, sin zapatos marchaban sobre la nieve,
dejando manchas de sangre y aceptando el
sacrificio pudieron heredar a ustedes una patria
libre, tal y como lo soñaba mi abuelo y sus
contemporáneos: Ellos también estaban ebrios de
patriotismo y no escatimaron esfuerzos de
sacrificios para alcanzar la libertad y poder
así heredarnos a nosotros una patria libre como
la heredaron Uds. de sus antepasados.
Mi abuelo decía, que nosotros comprendemos que
el pueblo democrático de los Estados Unidos es
generoso y que no esta de acuerdo con los abusos
que cometió el Presidente Coolidge contra
nuestro Pueblo y que Uds. no quisieron estar
representando el triste papel a que los obligó
Coolidge, quien se aprovechaba de la disciplina
de Uds. No fue nunca el propósito de mi abuelo
herir la dignidad de persona alguna, sino el de
admiración por Uds. y su historia.
Sin embargo nuca fue escuchado, el solo pedía
tener apoyo para la democracia de nuestra amada
Nicaragua: según uno de los escritos
suministrado por Usted en “The Sandino Rebellion
in Nicaragua”, él aceptaba tener en su poder un
poco mas de dos millones de dólares (de esa
época), y estaba dispuesto a entregárselos todo
a cambio que las fuerzas invasoras salieran de
nuestro territorio.
Quedo esperando la contestación de Uds.
Walter C. Sandino
Nieto del general Augusto C. Sandino
Sunday, April 13, 2008 1:12
PM
From: Michael Schroeder
Subject: Re: Muy
estimado Profesor Schroeder
Estimado Sr. Walter C. Sandino,
Muchas gracias por su nota y expresiones de
solidaridad. Yo tengo la esperanza tambien que
un dia tendremos la oportunidad a vernos cara a
cara. Tengo planes de venir a Nicaragua en el
verano que viene, si Dios quiera, y seria un
gran honor a reunir con Ud para hablar sobre las
temas y cuestiones alrededor de su Abuelo y su
lucha por la libertad de su patria y contra el
imperialism del EEUU. Entonces gracias otra vez
por su apreciable carta, buena suerte en todo, y
tengo esperanzas de continuar nuestra
comunicacion,
Sinceramente,
Michael Schroeder
December 18, 2008
Subject: Muy estimado
Profesor Schroeder
Estimado Profesor Schroeder:
Un fraterno saludos desde Managua, Nicaragua.
Desde la tierra y descendencia directa del
General Augusto Cesar Sandino, deseandole se
encuentre bien de salud en union de sus seres
mas queridos.
Estimado Profesos he quedado en espera de su
visita a Nicaragua, para mi seria un gran honor
el poderlo conocer personalmente, pues el
trabajo que Usted ha hecho en “The Sandino
Rebellion in Nicaragua”, es muy importante para
nuestras futuras generaciones. Yo estoy
sumamente interesado en que usted continues este
trabajo de Historia entre nuestros pueblos
hermanos.
En estos momentos estoy trabajando una pagina
web que debera estar lista en los proximos dias
y queria solicitarle su permiso para publicar
algunos de los documentos y fotos que usted ha
publicado en ese sitio web “The Sandino
Rebellion in Nicaragua”.
Quisiera por favor me conteste por esta misma
via su aprobacion a nuestra solicitud.
Me suscribo de usted,
atentamente
WCSandino
December 20, 2008
Muy Estimado Sr. Walter C.
Sandino,
Muchas gracias por tu mensaje, me alegro de que
encuentre mi sitio web útil. Por supuesto, usted
puede utilizar cualquier documentos o
fotografías en el sitio web que desea - todas
las fotos y los documentos son de dominio
público, y están ahí para que cualquiera que
esté interesado lo puedan utilizar. Así que sí,
por todos los medios, usted tiene mi permiso
para hacer un enlace al Sitio y utilizar
cualquiera de los documentos o fotografías que
desee.
Con la esperanza de que este mensaje se
encuentra usted y su familia con buena salud y
disfrutar de esta época de Navidad, por favor
acepte mis cálidos saludos desde Pennsylvania
EEUU,
Gracias otra vez por su solicitud,,
Atentamente,
Michael Schroeder
August 17, 2009
Subject: Estimado Profesor Schroeder
Muy estimado Profesor Schroeder:
Le deseo mucha Salud en compañía de sus seres
más queridos.
Estimado Profesor nos quedamos esperando su
visita a Nicaragua, para mí sería un gran honor
poderlo conocer personalmente e invitarlo para
que venga a nuestro país, pues sigo considerando
que el maravilloso trabajo que Usted ha
realizado en “Sandino Rebellion in Nicaragua”,
es muy importante para nuestras presentes y
futuras generaciones. Yo estoy sumamente
interesado en que usted continúe este trabajo de
Historia entre nuestros pueblos hermanos.
Profesor, si Dios quiere estaré viajando en los
próximos días junto a mi Sra. esposa a
Washington DC. Nuestro único propósito es
conocerlo personalmente y tratar de ver algunos
de los documentos originales que Usted menciona
en su página web. Yo se que están en dos lugares
principalmente: en los Archivos de la Marina de
los Estados Unidos (National Archives in
Washington, DC, y Marine Corps Research Center,
VA).
Quisiera por favor me conteste por esta misma
vía si Usted estará disponible para la semana
del 22 al 29 de Agosto, y de ser posible me de
sus teléfonos y dirección para visitarlo.
Me suscribo de Usted,
Siempre mas allá...
WCSandino
August 17, 2009
RE: Estimado Profesor Schroeder
Estimado Walter Sandino,
Muchas gracias por tu mensaje. Yo sería muy
feliz de reunirse con usted y su esposa la
semana próxima. El único problema es que en mi
universidad las clases comienzan la semana
próxima y tengo demasiadas obligaciones aquí
para hacer un viaje a Washington DC. Pero yo
sería muy feliz de ofrecerle un lugar para
alojarse si usted podría hacer para Annville,
PA. Mi número de teléfono móvil es xxx, y mi
teléfono de casa es xxx. Mi dirección en
Annville es xxx. Es alrededor de 3 horas de
viaje (en carro) desde Washington D.C.
Gracias de nuevo por su mensaje, es un verdadero
placer estar en contacto con usted. Estoy
copiando de mi otra cuenta de correo electrónico
porque es más fácil y la uso con más
frecuencia....
Me suscribo de Usted,
Siempre mas allá,
Michael
Michael J. Schroeder
Assistant Professor of History
Lebanon Valley College
NOTE: The foregoing
exchanges, and many others to follow, led Sr.
Walter C. Sandino, his wife Sra. Marbely, and
son Walmar to a weeklong visit to Lebanon Valley
College in Fall 2009 & to the beginnings of an
exceptionally fruitful & gratifying personal &
professional relationship that includes several
ongoing collaborative projects. The
following photographs were taken during Sr.
Sandino's visita a nuestro humilde pueblito y
universidad en las orillas del riachuelo
Quittapahilla.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| W. C. Sandino
meeting with LVC President Stephen
MacDonald |
Meeting with
LVC Dean of the Faculty Mike Green |
Delivering one
of many classroom presentations |
Dancing at a
party held in honor of his & his
family's visit |
[Correspondence ongoing ... ]
.
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Rodrigo Peñaba,
from Nicaragua
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Subject: About the
"hyper-masculine statue dubbed "Rambo" in
SandinoRebellion
From: Rodrigo Peñalba
Hello Michael,
 i'm Rodrigo, from Nicaragua
i found via google your work on Sandino
Rebellion, amazing work of documentation,
congratulations =)
I just had a correction to be made. The "Right:
hyper-masculine statue dubbed "Rambo" by locals,
dilapidated, paint-splashed & graffiti-ridden,
months before its dismantling, with children
clustered on pedestal, Managua, Nicaragua, 1996") picture you have in your cover page have not
been demolished.
Here's a recent picture from 2007.
The
statue is called also "Estatua del Soldado
Desconocido" and now has a plaque from the FNT
(National Front of Workers, the FSLN-affiliated
labour centre)
I hope this info will help you
April 13, 2008
Rodrigo,
Thanks so much for the photo and the correction!
I was told that that statue was torn down but
obviously I heard wrong. With your permission
I'll publish the photo you sent me as well (and
correct my error on the homepage). Thanks for
your words of encouragement with the website, if
you have any more suggestions on anything, or
anything to contribute, I'd be delighted to
receive it. So thanks again and I hope we might
be in touch again,
saludos,
Michael
April 13, 2008
Hello Michael
The image i did sent you is from Dereck
Blackladder, and you can' find the original here
http://flickr.com/photos/dblackadder/413087978/in/set-72157594574198188/
He published it with AttributionShare Alike Some
rights reserved. so you should ask him or notify
him at least.
.
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Alessandro Marchi,
Florence, Italy
March 31, 2008
Subject: from
Sandinorebellion.com
Hello mr Schroeder,
I'm an Italian student living in Florence, and
writing down a thesys with italian professor
Antonio Annino about Sandino's period, according
to his ability in becoming a national
Nicaraguan's icon. I read ur articles available
on Jstor and Ingenta Connect, and the topic of
my work is focusing on
1st) why Sandino became a national, then a
latino-american icon of rebellion
2nd) how (propaganda, proper use of
"mass-media", sponsoritation by international
anti-imperialist league...
Can u please help me in finding materials (ok in
english either spanish) about these 2 purposes?
The only stuff i'm able to find are about
Sandino's life, his religious views, and
historical course, but I'm finding it hard to
trace the link between becoming a nationalist
icon, and especially how, as materials from
1920s is not focusing very much and the technics
he used.
I thank you very much in advance, hope not to
disturb, and to receive some possible clues
about my task.
Best Regards,
Alessandro Marchi
March 31, 2008
Subject: Re: from
Sandinorebellion.com
Alessandro,
Thanks very much for your note. The
international dimension of the Sandino Rebellion
is not something I've focused on very much, but
you might find some items of interest in my
recent article, 'Social Memory and Tactical
Doctrine: The Air War during the Sandino
Rebellion in Nicaragua, 1927-1932'
(International History Review, Sept. 2007).
Also, Michele Dospital, "Siempre más
allá" - have you
read it? She has some good sources listed there.
I would also suggest (since you are doing a
doctoral thesis, I presume) that you look at the
US State Department's records on Nicaragua
during these years. They are available on
microfilm. The State Dept was very concerned
about the international aspect and their records
reflect that concern. And of course Sandino's
own writings are essential in understanding the
international aspect.
What is interesting to me, among other things,
is how Sandino tried desperately to get the
support of Latin American heads of state and
failed utterly. He could not garner any
significant international support, and that's
why (I argue) his forces had to rely on
'patriotic plunder' to finance the rebellion.
On the other hand he did gain a lot of
rhetorical support from anti-imperialist
activists, as Michele Dospital and others
emphasize (and as I outline in my air war
article).
Did you see the documents relating to Julio
Cesar Rivas on my website? Here is the link:
http://www.sandinorebellion.com/Top100pgs/Top100-p7a.html
Best of luck with your research, and please let
me know if I can be of further help.
Saludos de Ann Arbor, Michigan, EEUU,
Michael
Michael Schroeder
April 2, 2008
Subject: Re: from
Sandinorebellion.com
Mr Schroeder,
first of all, thanks very much for helping me,
it doesn't happen often to be helped when u're
having a hard time.
Second, i read ur article with the interviews to
general Rivas and i found it very helpful,
especially in those parts describing how
materially Sandino looked for international
consensus to his rebellion. In order to complete
the first chapter of my thesys (which u were
correctly assuming is part of a bachelor degree
in International Studies) i'd only need to read
also ur article u recommended about the Air War.
I caouldn't find it online (jstor or ingenta)
nor even in my university's library online
periodical database. I please you to send me the
link to those website, (or also directly), which
inlcude the payment of your own copyright. I'd
like to contribute in any case is requested
(donations via paypal, payment by credit
card...). Please let me know.
Second issue: i'd like to cite the article
'www.sandinorebellion.com/mjs/lasa98.htm ' for
which u asked a written permission. My thesys of
course doesn't have profit goals, and i'm gonna
listing the exact translation of what i would
like to write, in order to give you the exact
idea wheter granting or not ur permission. I
enclosed the pages.
If you need a letter from my professor, a copy
of my university career, or any other documents
attesting my work, please let me know. I hope
not to be disturbing, and i thank you in advance
once again.
Best regards, (we say: distinti saluti da
firenze!)
/s/ Sir Axel Mark
Thursday, October 9, 2008
From: alessandro marchi
Dear Mr Schroeder,
first of all please let me apologize for the
delay in replying to ur last email, I've been
busy as never before, and I'm able to do it only
now, as I'm just graduated..
I decided to type down a pecial thanks to the
author of sandinorebellion.com, and this is the
introduction of my thesys:
“Dedico un ringraziamento particolare a Michael
J. Schroeder, professore della Lebanon Valley
College, il quale, con le sue pubblicazioni su
Sandino, ha costituito una preziosa fonte
d’ispirazione per l’intero studio relativo al
periodo 1921-‘34. Tutti i saggi sui quali ho
potuto lavorare previa autorizzazione diretta,
sono reperibili sul sito internet curato
dall’autore www.sandinorebellion.com, oltre ad
alcune opere consultabili nell’archivio online
jstor.org”.
“I dedicate a special thanks to M J Schroeder,
professor at the Lebanon Valley College, who,
with his essays on Sandino, has represented a
precious inspiration's source for the whole
study about the 1921-'34 period. All the essays
and works which I've been previously authorized
to work on by the author itself, are available
on the website sandinorebellion.com, and also on
jstor's online archive”.
It's not an official awarding, but the fact that
my professor has allowed and recommended me to
quote all ur works and ur name, has to be
considered a great satisfaction as he'sactually
considered the second maximum expert on
Latin-American studies in the world ranking.
I thank you personally for introducing me to a
new experience, which was made of collaboration
between complete strangers who live in different
parts of the world but who agree on finding a
common ground of interest, even if I know that
it's something of not so exceptional in the
academic system.
I'd like to send you the conclusions of this
work, the only thing is that it's completely
written in Italian, one of the most charming and
useless language of the world! I'll be in
California the whole next summer, so at the
moment I can only promise you to offer you a
real espresso if u'll ever show up in Florence.
It has been a pleasure, best regards.
/s/ Sir axel mark
.
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Erich Wagner, Boston,
Mass.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Subject: Question
Dear Sir,
I am a Major in the USMCR and currently
researching how the US Marines trained and led
the Guardia in Nicaragua. I'm especially
interested in the problems they encountered -
whether of their own doing or of the inherent
difficulties in training native armies - and
lessons we could learn and how they overcame
them (religious, ethnic, whatever). I know you
are the premier expert on this subject, so
please forgive me for bothering you. Do you have
any information I might utilize. I would love to
get a copy of Robert Denig's Diary of a Guardia
Officer, but have looked ALL over and cannot
find a copy. Any guidance you might be able to
provide would be incredibly appreciated and I
would be indebted to you for anything you could
provide me with.
Kind Regards
Erich Wagner
Date: March 1, 2008
Dear Erich Wagner,
Thanks for your note, and my apologies for the
delay, I just returned from a whirlwind few days
and did not have email access.
I'd be happy to share with you whatever
expertise I have on this subject -- as for
Denig's diary, it is housed at the Marine Corps
Research Center in Quantico VA -- I have a copy
but it's all marked up with my marginal notes,
etc. -- if you can't visit Quantico in person
then I'd suggest trying to get a copy via
interlibrary loan -- and if that doesn't work
let me know and we'll see what we can work out
--
Also, you probably know about this but you might
find some useful tidbits in my chapter "The
Sandino Rebellion Revisited" in Gilbert Joseph,
et al., "Close Encounters of Empire: Writing the
History of US-Latin American Relations" (Duke
1998). Some of the principal sources I've used
to explore the topic you're interested in are
referenced there.
Again, thanks for the note and let me know what
you find out! I'd be very interested to hear
what you end up uncovering and arguing --
because even though we might not agree on every
little thing about the US intervention and the
formation of the Guardia Nacional during this
perod, I really enjoy a good discussion & debate
and count on folks with perspectives that differ
from my own to offer fresh insights and new
perspectives.
So good luck and let me know if I can offer any
additional help,
Best regards,
Michael Schroeder
Date: March 4, 2008
Sir:
I apologize for being a pain and bothering you
again. As you can see below, the only copy that
exists of the Diary of a Guardia Officer isn’t
coming to me. I don’t know if there were any
alternative ideas you might have had, but if so,
I would be willing to pay for any expenses.
Thanks so much for your consideration.
Kind Regards
Erich Wagner
March 4, 2008
Erich,
No problem at all. If it serves your purposes
I'll copy mine and mail it to you, though it
might take a week or two as I'm sort of backed
up with stuff, and you'll have to ignore all the
marginal comments. Is your need for it urgent?
Yes, it can be a real pain doing long-distance
research, I certainly empathize with that. If
you get a chance sometime, I'd like to hear
about your research agenda, as it sounds like
you're doing interesting work. In any case,
we'll work it out. So let me know how urgent
your need is and we can take it from there.
Best,
Mike
March 5, 2008
Mike,
That’s very kind of you. I know that the book is
about 150 pages or so. I understand that’s an
incredible thing to ask of you. My need is not
urgent. My thesis is do in April. I’ve attached
a working draft copy, but it’s just going to my
advisor today. The concept of my paper is that
the Marine Corps was successful – in the short
run – raising indigenous soldiers in Nicaragua
in the 1930s, and that we as an organization can
learn something from their trials and
tribulations in our dealings with raising Iraqi
soldiers today, although the task of what we are
attempting to accomplish is much greater in
scope. I was an advisor – the equivalent of a
Guardia officer – to the Iraqis from 2005-2006.
Many of the trials and tribulations we
encountered were the same, and yet, many
weren’t. You can see I used your “Bandits and
blanket thieves, communists and terrorists: the
politics of naming Sandinistas in Nicaragua,
1927 – 36 and 1979 – 90.”
Thanks again.
Sincerely
Erich
March 5, 2008
Dear Erich,
Thanks very much for sending me your thesis
draft, which I look forward to reading. It
sounds like your basic thesis is a solid one,
because I think the Marines were successful in
forging an effective National Guard, at least in
the short-term. A couple of observations and
suggestions:
- I'm struck by how the US worked to create a
"non-partisan constabulary" and largely
succeeded, but then, after the US withdrawal in
early 1933, this modernized fighting force
basically became just as partisan and
"caudillo-oriented" as previous military
organizations. I think the effort to create a
truly non-partisan National Guard basically
failed in the medium- and longer-term, as Somoza
made the Guardia his own personal army, in
keeping with the much longer tradition in
Nicaraguan history of personalism and
personalized control of the means of organized
violence. I'd say by 1936 or so it had devolved
into his own personal army - so as I see it,
it's short-term success followed by longer-term
failure - in terms of creating a non-partisan
national army.
- Another thing that strikes me is the degree to
which, during the war, sheer hatred of the
Sandinistas provided a kind of "glue" that bound
together the soldiers and officers of the
Guardia - it was less a sense of "duty" or
professionalism than it was hatred for the *&^%
"bandoleros", i.e., Sandinistas. The same was
true of the Sandinistas, of course - hatred of
the other side ran extremely deep on both sides,
and I think became the principal unifying factor
for each side. So I think that's worth looking
at.
- During the period when the Guardia was just
forming, say 1930-32, there's a very high degree
of ambiguity and fluidity in terms of "which
side are we on?" There are tons of patrol and
combat reports that show Sandinista soldiers
wearing GN uniforms; GN members switching sides
to fight with the rebels; cases where you can't
tell whether the attackers are GN or EDSN; and
so on. For evidence for this I'd point you to
the patrol & combat reports in the National
Archives -- which is pretty extensive collection
(a couple of boxes of reports at least), and
it'd take a lot of work to pick out those
instances that illustrate what I'm talking about
here, but they're also incredibly rich and
provide a kind of bottom-up "worm's eye" view of
the process that you don't get with the more
formulaic and standardized reports by the brass.
- You might want to look at the report I wrote
for the DoD on "Intelligence Successes and
Failures in the Sandino Rebellion" - it's on my
website -- where I argue, for instance, that
contrary to popular perception and latter-day
treatments, Chesty Puller and Bill Lee failed in
many ways to cultivate alliances with local
notables, establish effective intelligence
networks, and basically relied on using brute
force against civilians, which in many ways
backfired by generating tremendous hatred for
the Marines more generally. There are still
stories in Las Segovias of "Lt. Lee" throwing
babies up in the air and spearing them on his
bayonet, e.g. On the other hand, officers like
George Stockes and Julian Frisbie, I argue, were
very successful in cultivating local alliances
and thereby gathering actionable intelligence.
Far more so than Puller & Lee, or Hanneken &
Escamilla, e.g. So you might want to take a peek
at this study:
http://www.sandinorebellion.com/mjs/mjs-intel.htm
So I'll stop there - again, just throwing out
ideas as you figure out what to argue and how to
frame things. For what it's worth.
I'll see if I can get the staff at EMU to copy
this diary and get it off to you asap, because
(as you know) April is right around the corner.
Good luck and thanks again,
Mike
March 6, 2008
Mike,
Thanks so much for this detailed email. I am
going to pursue the angles you suggested and
appreciate the effort you went to in this email.
It is terribly interesting to see how these
constabularies failed in the past when we left,
and I think it is a challenge for us now in Iraq
and Afghanistan. It’s something I don’t have
many recommendations on how to rectify, save for
a functioning democracy left established when we
leave, but . . . perhaps we thought we had done
that in Nicaragua. The corruption problem in
these societies is immense, and I know one of
the biggest heartaches for Americans in
operating and trying to teach such forces.
Again thanks, and I look forward to any
annotations or suggestions you can provide in
the future. I’ll make sure if I use any of your
remarks I give you credit for them.
Sincerely
Erich Wagner
April 11, 2008
Subject: RE:
Question
Mike, I’m finishing my work
and tightening up things, and am getting flak
for my statement :” The Nicaraguan is a natural
fighting man, unlike the Iraqi.” Is there any
good study, or quote you could provide, that
would prove this? Or, perhaps you disagree. I
feel, and the Marines felt, that the Nicaraguans
were a warrior class of people. Any kind of
anthropological citation I could provide for
this?
R/
Erich
PS – I hope you received my thank you note sent
weeks ago, as I am sincerely grateful for all
you have done for me.
April 11, 2008
Subject: RE:
Question
Hi Erich,
First, thanks for the nice note, sorry for not
acknowledging it earlier but it was much
appreciated. Second, as for your assertion, I
profoundly disagree. For one thing only half of
Nicaraguans are male - to say "the Nicaraguan is
a man" is obviously problematic (another way to
say the same thing would be something like,
"Nicaraguan men are natural fighters"). More
substantively, to my mind no national / ethnic /
racial group can be characterized as "warlike"
or "peaceful" or "phlegmatic" or any of the
other blanket statements that anthropologists &
historians of old used to make - especially when
the word "natural" is thrown in, which makes it
seem like it's biological or something. The
whole thing dredges up the old debates about
"national character", etc, which have been
pretty much debunked and discarded as
essentialist & naturalizing & ahistorical. Yes,
the Marines felt that Nicaraguans were a
"warrior class" of sorts, but that doesn't mean
they were right. I think it's good to talk about
the Marines' perceptions about the Nicaraguan
"national character," or whatever, but for a
scholar to adopt their perspective and
perceptions wholesale strikes me as wrongheaded,
especially given all the academic literature in
recent years that critically analyze the whole
"essentialist" perspective. But then I have
these debates with my friend David Brooks all
the time, who tends to make these kinds of
blanket statements and then we go at it over
beers. Have you read Edward Said's
"Orientalism"? That's the starting point for
these kinds of discussions about "essentializing
the Other." But of course you're gonna write
what you're gonna write. I just think it's not a
very helpful way to think about it.
Besides, what do you gain by making this
assertion? How does it move your argument
forward? What's wrong with saying that both
Iraqis and Nicaraguans have long traditions of
violence, and that culturally specific forms of
violence-making characterize each? Would that
compromise or diminish the larger argument
you're making? Anyway some thoughts off the top
of my head. Best of luck finishing up and thanks
again for the nice note,
Mike
April 11, 2008
Subject: RE:
Question
Mike
Great points, and I will heed you advice, as
your points are sound, and it benefits my paper
little to make that assertion. Thanks for being
patient with a novice. I think what you said
about the perceptions of the foreigner are dead
on – that being, that the Marines perceived one
class as more warlike than the other is very
valid, but that doesn’t necessarily make it
fact.
Thanks for setting me on the straight course
again.
R/
Erich Wagner
April 11, 2008
Subject: RE:
Question
Erich, glad I could help -
these are tough questions you're grappling with.
Best of luck & keep on plugging,
Mike
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Dan Plazak on the
San Albino Mine
December 1, 2007
Subject: Thank you for
your website
Dear Mr. Plazak,
Thank you for your wonderfully informative
website, especially the page
http://www.miningswindles.com/html/el_rosario__honduras.html;
I'm a historian, and I was looking for
information on the Rosario Mine in Honduras and
stumbled upon your site and was captivated by
both its style and substance. Very nicely done,
it really gave me a feel for the place. Thank
you!
Michael Schroeder
Ann Arbor, MI
December 2, 2007
Subject: Re:
Thank you for your website
Michael -
Thanks for the encouraging note. I'm glad that
my website was of some use to you.
I assume that you have tracked down
English-language sources on Rosario. I know
that Spanish-language sources are usually much
more difficult. When I was in Honduras last
January, I picked up a book that included some
historical info on Rosario: "Esplendor y
Miseria de la Mineria en Honduras" by Leticia de
Oyuela (Tegucigalpa: Editorial Guaymuras,
2003). I don't know how deep you want to dig
into Rosario, but if you would like, I could
copy the 20 or so pages on Rosario and mail them
to you. Let me know.
- Dan Plazak
December 3, 2007
Subject: Re: Thank you
for your website
Dear Dan,
Thanks so much for your note, and for your kind
offer to copy sections of your book on the
Rosario Mining Co. The reference you provided
should be enough; the paper I'm working on is
focusing on the Nicaragua-Honduras borderlands
in the interwar years, and I was poking around
on the Rosario Mining Co because I wanted to
know exactly where it was located in relation to
the borderlands -- and since it's north of
Tegucigalpa, it can't be playing much of a role
in the events around the borderlands in the
1920s and 1930s.
A long-winded way of saying "thanks very much
but don't bother with the photocopies." On the
other hand, if you know of any sources on mining
activities in zones closer to the Nicaraguan
border, I'd be very interested to hear about it.
One of the things I'm looking at is how
Sandino's rebels routinely crossed the Honduran
border to work in Honduras -- on road
construction gangs, for regional government
agencies, and in the mining economy. So if you
know anything about mining companies in the
departments of Choluteca or El Paraiso in the
interwar years, I would be delighted to hear
about it.
Thanks again for your very kind offer, and best
of luck with your website,
Michael
December 4, 2007
Subject: Re: Thank you
for your website
Michael -
Sounds like an interesting project. One of the
places I visited in Nicaragua last winter was
the San Albino gold mine, near El Jicaro in
northern Nicaragua, NE of Ocotal. This mine was
where Augusto Sandino worked as a clerk before
becoming a revolutionary, and which Sandino
siezed during the insurgency for its gold. I
became interested in the place after reading
"The Sandino Affair" by Neill Macauley.
When I was in Managua, I tried to find some more
detailed info on Sandino, so I went to what my
guidebook advised was the best bookstore in the
city, but an employee there told me that they
had no books on Augusto Sandino (!!!).
Anyway, the San Albino mine is fairly remote. I
wound up hiking in the last couple of miles to
the site, after my taxi-for-the-day gave up
trying to drive down an ox-track. The San Albino
mine and mill apparently haven't been worked
much since Sandino. The mine openings are
overgrown and impossible to find unless some
local walks you through he brush to the opening.
An old guy has built his one-room shack on the
concrete foundation for the mill. Rusted
machinery surrounds the mill. If you are
interested, I could email you some fotos.
I would appreciate it if you could tell me of
any references on the San Albino mine.
- Dan
December 4, 2007
Subject: Re:
Thank you for your website
Dan,
Believe it or not I have a fair amount of info
about the San Albino Mine in the 20s & 30s, even
though I've never been there (yet). Here is a
link to some of the information I've put on my
website on Sandino and San Albino:
[outdated URL to older version of website]
As I say, I have a ton more on the mine itself,
oral histories of men who worked there, the
investments of Charles Butters, inventory of the
buildings and machinery, etc. What
specifically were you wondering about it? (As
you know the mine itself occupies a kind of
sacrosanct space in Sandinista historical
memory, as the birthplace of Sandino's original
army, so it's as much a mythical place as a real
one). I'd love to hear more about your
experiences there, and love to see any photos
you have of the place. ...
Thanks!
Michael
December 4, 2007
Subject: Charles
Butters
Michael -
My interest comes from the opposite direction:
Charles Butters. There was a supposed incident
in which a machete-wielding Sandino chased
Butters through the mine tunnels, and Butters
escaped with his life only by leaping down an
ore chute. I've been meaning to dig into the
Charles Butters papers at the Bancroft Library
at UC Berkeley to see how it actually happened.
It sounds a bit embellished.
In fact, another page of my website is on
another location where Charles Butters owned
mines: Copala, Sinaloa, Mexico. The Copala page
even has a newspaper drawing of a young Charles
Butters.
I'm on a phone modem here at home, so I'll send
you the San Albino fotos from my office tomorrow
morning. And I'll dig out my notes on San
Albino. It may be famous to history aficianados,
but as near as I can tell San Albino is all but
forgotten in Nicaragua.
- Dan
December 4, 2007:
Subject: Re: Charles
Butters
Dan,
That's a fascinating story -- I bet it's
apocryphal, but who knows? A couple of things
make me doubt it: first, Butters' account of
Sandino's return to San Albino in late May 1927
says nothing about being chased through mine
tunnels with a machete-wielding Sandino hot on
his heels; and second, I found a letter in the
National Archives from Charles Butters to
Sandino, dated around 1930-31, where Butters
makes a preposterous proposition, essentially
saying "Look, Augusto, we can work together in
reviving the mine, and you can have some of the
profits, what do you say old chap?" I can dig
the letter out -- it has the Butters letterhead
at the top -- but both the tone and substance of
what I've looked at make the "chased through the
mine" story sound pretty far-fetched. On the
other hand it makes a very nice story. Where did
you hear it? Also, I didn't know that the
Charles Butters papers were at the Bancroft
Library -- that's a great lead!
It's also interesting that you found that
Nicaraguans today have largely forgotten the
whole San Albino episode -- though from what
I've seen I don't think that's true at a
national level & in the cities. The
Sandinista narrative has penetrated pretty
deeply, I think, and the words "La Mina de San
Albino y la gesta de Sandino" resonate pretty
deeply among a lot of Nicaraguans. Very
interesting questions though.
Did you get a chance to look at the Web page I
directed you to? The account of the building of
the Limay-San Albino road is pretty amazing, I
think, as are the accounts by Butters and
Matteson. I'd be interested to hear what you
think.
Best,
Michael
[NOTE: Message
accompanied by 4 batches of jpeg files of
various documents relating to Charles Butters
and San Albino Mine.]
December 4, 2007
Subject: Re: Charles
Butters
Michael -
The story about Butters and Sandino comes from:
Clark C. Spence, "Mining Engineers & the
American West: the Lace-Boot Brigade,
1849-1933," (New Haven: Yale University Press,
1970), 288.
However, I misremembered the story. As reported
in the book, it was not Sandino himself that
Butters escaped from, but some men that Sandino
had sent to kill Butters.
I have not had the chance yet to take a good
look at your website, but I'm looking forward to
it.
- Dan
December 4, 2007
Subject: How to get to
San Albino Mine
Michael -
I was staying in Esteli, so I grabbed a bus up
to Ocotal, flagged down a taxi on the square,
and negotiated a rate to hire the taxi for the
day. We drove the road (mostly paved) to El
Jicaro. We asked at El Jicaro, and the locals
directed us down a dirt road. After a couple of
miles, the road forked, and as directed we took
the left fork. Evidently the right fork is more
travelled, because the left fork we were on
became increasingly difficult.
The driver pulled his Kia beater off the road,
and we continued on foot. Although the driver
had never heard of San Albino, he was intrigued
by my story of how Sandino used to work there,
and decided to hike with me to see it for
himself (I was lucky to have a young and
inquisitive driver willing to walk a bit).
After a couple of miles, the road headed
downhill and forked again. We took the left
fork, and about the point that we saw the river,
my driver saw two old guys sitting on the edge
of a big concrete platform on the side of the
hill to the left of the road. He went to ask
them about directions to the San Albino mine,
and I realized that the concrete platform and
surrounding junk had to be the remains of the
ore mill.
The old guys confirmed my assumption that this
was indeed the place where Augusto Sandino
worked, and told my driver of the importance of
San Albino as the place where the revolution
started. With typical Latin formality, they
always referred to Sandino as "General Augusto
Sandino."
But where was the mine? They old guys waved
their arms and said that there were mines here
and there. They directed us to one mine opening
that they said we couldn't miss. Well, it
turned out to be impossible to find unless you
knew just where to look. We walked around until
we found a little one-armed man who went out of
his way to lead us to the place.
There is apparently no village of San Albino.
The place name seems to refer to the general
area.
Following are the Lat-Longs (in decimal degrees,
NAD 83) from my GPS:
Mine adit:
N 13.69125 degrees
W 86.09930 degrees
elev 532 m
Ore treatment mill:
N 13.69458 degrees
W 86.09721 degrees
elev. 482 m
- Dan
December 5, 2007
Subject: San Albino
Dan,
I took the liberty of publishing your photos,
and your description of how you found San Albino
Mine, here:
http://www.sandinorebellion.com/Top100pgs/Top100-p2a.html
If you have any suggestions, or corrections
(what year did you make the trip?), or if you
don't want these items published here at all,
just let me know. I did put in a good plug for
your book though, which I look forward to
reading at some point.
Thanks,
Michael
December 5, 2007
Subject: Re: San
Albino
Michael –
The photos look fine; I’m glad that you think
enough of them to put up on your site.
Just a couple of quibbles:
- I actually went to San Albino in January 2007.
- In the old days, an ore mill would be called a
“hacienda de beneficio,” not “beneficio de
haciendas.” Today, “hacienda” has an
old-fashioned connotation, so such an
establishment would be called a “planta de
beneficio.” I don’t know when the change in
terminology took place.
Thanks again for putting my photos on your site. [Here]
- Dan
 Note
to readers: See Dan Plazak's wonderful
book, A Hole in the Ground with a Liar on
Top: Fraud and Deceit in the Golden Age of
American Mining, University of Utah Press,
2006. Click on the image at left to visit
Dan's website, at
http://danplazak.com/
.
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Jaime Pfaeffle, San
José, Costa Rica
September 4, 2007
Dear Mr. Schroeder:
A statement made by my grandfather, William
Pfaeffle, is mentioned in the inventory of
documents of the Sandino Rebellion. I would
appreciate very much to have access to such
statement, if possible.
"31.07.23 Pfaeffle, W
31.07.23 Pfaeffle, W. Statement of Mr. W.
Pfaeffle on Pedron raid of Javali Mine,
Chontales"
Thank you in advance for your attention to this
message.
Jaime Pfaeffle
San José, Costa Rica
September 4, 2007
Dear Jaime Pfaeffle,
A pleasure to get your note, and to comply with
your request. I will send several messages with
.jpg files, attached (Yahoo doesn't permit
attachments of greater than 10 MB), scans of the
five page statement by your grandfather William
Pfaeffle.
The source is U.S. National Archives, Record
Group 127, Entry 202, Box 2, File 9.0.
After you receive these files, I wonder if you
might share with me a word or two about your
grandfather, that I might include in an analysis
and interpretation of this document (when I get
to it). I would much appreciate anything you
might have to offer.
Please let me know that you've received these
message and the images intact? I expect there
will be three separate messages, two following
this one. Thank you and good luck, I hope you're
weathering Hurricane Felix alright (though it
looks like northern Nicaragua and southern
Honduras are really going to get socked).
Best regards,
Mike Schroeder
Ann Arbor MI
September 5, 2007
Dear Mr. Schroeder:
Many thanks for taking the time to send me my
grandfather’s statement. I must tell you that I
was quite impacted by his words. I had heard
about this happening from my dad, but not so
vividly. My grandfather mentions that a son was
with him at the time, but that was not my dad,
who happened to be in a boarding school in
Managua at the time. It was my uncle Otto, who
was murdered in Managua in the late 50’s.
I was only six when my grandfather died in 1949,
and my memories are very vague about him.
However, my dad, 95, is still alive and quite
well. As a matter of fact, I chat with him over
the Internet several times per week. His name is
also William, like my grandfather, and he lives
in xxx. He was already married to my mom and
living in Managua when Sandino was assassinated
by Somoza’s National Guard. My mom passed away
this past March, and I remember them talking
about hearing the mortal shots that ended
Sandino’s life.
I also recall my dad telling us a story that he
acted once as a translator between Sandino and
the Americans. But I’m sure that he’ll be
delighted to share his stories with you. He
happens to be in Nicaragua at the moment, but if
Hurricane Felix allows it, he should be back in
Miami by Thursday. His phone number is
305-xxx-xxxx. He’s hard of hearing, but you
should have no problem in communicating with
him. Should you call him, please do so after
Sunday the 9th, to give me chance to tell him
about you and your work.
Thanks again and the best for you and your
project on Sandino.
Best regards,
Jaime Pfaeffle
.
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Carlos Rosa, Fort
Lauderdale, Florida
8 October 2007
Michael,
Your research is
spectacular! I’ve always found this period of
Central American history fascinating. I
especially love anything having to do with
aviation. I’m enclosing two photos- I have more
but have to find them- One is of a Marine Fokker
tri-motor passing through Tegucigalpa on the way
to Nicaragua and the other is of a Curtiss OC-1
which is mentioned in the air reports. If you
are interested in more photos, let me know. I
also have pictures of what appears to be Sandino
and another photo of what appears to be a Marine
hanging from a tree.
Regards,
Carlos Rosa
Fort Lauderdale, FL
8 October 2007
Dear
Carlos,
Thanks so much for your
kind words, and I'm glad you found the site
useful. I'd love to see the photos you mention,
but sadly there was nothing attached to your
message. Could you try sending again? I'm
especially interested in the photo of the Marine
hanging from a tree, as I've seen textual
references to it but have never seen the actual
photo. Thanks so much and I look forward to
hearing from you.
Best,
Michael
9 October 2007
Michael,
These
four photos I’m enclosing, I have in the
computer. The other ones I will have to find as
they are stored away. I’ll send them ASAP. These
photos are of a Marine Fokker and a Curtiss
passing through Tegus on their way to Nicaragua
. The portly man that is having a parachute
strapped on him is Fracisco Martinez Funez.
Honduras ’ Minister of War for a period during
the Carias administration.
Regards,
Carlos
Photos from the Sunny
Morgan Collection via Carlos Rosa. All
rights reserved.
9 October 2007
Carlos,
Thanks so much for those
photos! Let me ask you about putting them on the
website: would that be okay? For now I'll assume
so and draft captions for them, then maybe you
can correct my mistakes till we get it right.
They're great photos. I'll send you the link
once they're up, it may take a couple of days.
Anything else you might dig up would be grand.
Thanks again,
Michael
10
October 2007
Michael,
You can put them on the
website. The only thing I ask is that you give
the following credit- Photo Sunny Morgan
Collection via Carlos Rosa.
I believe in giving credit
where credit is due. Sunny Morgan was a pioneer
pilot in Honduras and Nicaragua, he took many
photos which I now own. I’ll send you the link
to a couple of articles I wrote about him.
Regards,
Carlos
10 October 2007
Michael,
Below is the link to a
short article on how I found Sunny Morgan’s
documents, photos etc.
Regards,
Carlos
http://www.laahs.com/artman/publish/article_47.shtml
[NOTE: the above link no
longer works, and the website of the Latin
American Aviation History Society seems to have
disappeared altogether ... very strange.]
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Sandino Rebellion
Michael,
I’ve spent days reading your web site and I must
say what an intellectual work this must have
been.
Did you ever post the pictures of planes passing
through Honduras that I sent you?
Regards,
Carlos Rosa
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Re: Sandino Rebellion
Hi Carlos,
Thanks for your note, and no I haven't posted
the photos yet, I've been accumulating stuff to
put up on the Website and yours is near the top
of my list! Too much other stuff to do, and yes,
this was (and remains) an extraordinary amount
of work & a labor of love. So thanks again & I'm
glad you're finding the Website useful -- best
regards,
Michael
.
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