Uneasy Guests

As the invasion of Costa Rica (TIME, Dec. 20) moved quietly through its second week, Costa Ricans relaxed. The invaders were going nowhere. The defending troops were deployed but had not yet launched a counterattack; it seemed unlikely that they would have to bother.

The investigating committee from the Organization of American States (see above) got a gala welcome in San Jose and was studying evidence that the attack had been staged with help from Nicaragua. In Managua, "Tacho" Somoza scoffed at the charges, awaited his chance to tell about the illegal activities of the Caribbean Legion sheltered in Costa Rica.

Happy Jeep. Wearing his "lucky boots" and a silver-mounted .45 automatic, Costa Rica's Provisional President Jose Figueres jeeped happily around inspecting his outpost troops. With him rode President-elect Otilio Ulate. The foreign threat had given Figueres' faltering junta a popularity unknown since last spring's civil war.

In the first confused days, the military facts of the invasion had been wildly exaggerated. Actually, the invading force numbered scarcely 300, including 100 tattered, malaria-ridden Nicaraguans. They had occupied the border village of La Cruz, then sat down to wait for the internal uprising that never came.

Behind the invasion most experienced observers still saw the face of wily Tacho Somoza. He had decided, they concluded, to do something about the Costa Rican exiles who had been training on Nicaraguan soil for a comeback. By allowing their leader, ex-President Rafael CalderOn Guardia, to attack, Tacho set up several interesting possibilities. If discontent with the Figueres regime had reached the boiling point, an overnight coup might bring Calderon to power. If the attempt failed, Tacho could rid himself of his embarrassing guests. If the Caribbean Legion intervened to help Figueres, Tacho would have a chance to turn loose his well-trained Guardia National on those sworn enemies.

Solid Seat. Figueres was too smart to use the Legion and thus bring the Guardia down on his neck. On the contrary, he high-pressured the Legion's leaders into disbanding the organization and turning over its weapons to his government. Many in San Jose suspected that the Legion could get them back if it needed them.

As the crisis simmered down, Figueres was more solid than ever in the presidential chair. Somoza had his Legion foes at least temporarily disarmed. The O.A.S. could preen itself on a rapid job of calming intervention. Only Calderon Guardia had to face the fact of failure.

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