File No. 812.00/3610.
The Acting Secretary of State to the President.
Washington, April 13, 1912.
My Dear Mr. President: The practical murder by the insurrectionists of Fountain, an American citizen who was fighting with the Federals; the conspicuous increase of truculence on the part of Orozco and the insurrectionists generally, as witnessed by Orozco’s absurd attitude toward our Consul at Chihuahua; his seizure of American mails, etc.; the killing or wounding of several American railroad employees; and the continued depredations upon American property, appear to the Department to make it opportune now to make not only to the Mexican Government but to the Mexican people a strong protest and warning. Whether or not such action shall prove at all efficacious, at any rate it appears to the Department prudent to make such a record at this time.
I therefore have the honor to submit herewith a draft telegram to the embassy at Mexico City2 and one to the Consulate at Chihuahua.1 It is suggested that the textual representations therein contained be telegraphed plain; that the telegram to the Embassy be repeated for the information of all consular officers in Mexico, and that the textual representations be given to the press here.
Under separate cover I submit for your signature, if you approve them, and with explanatory letters, orders2 looking to the permission of exportations of arms, first, to Americans on the west coast, notably at Guaymas, Los Mochis, and Mazatlan (these arms are understood to be intended for the employees of the Southern Pacific Railroad, any surplus to be given to such other American citizens as may need them), and, second, for British residents in the northern part of Sonora, notably at Izabal.
There have been for months serious complaints by Americans in the neighborhood of Los Mochis, in the State of Sinaloa, where, roughly, a couple of hundred of our citizens are engaged in agriculture and truck farming. This is the most important group of Americans, except the employees of the Southern Pacific Railroad, to be found on the west coast. Los Mochis is near the port of Topolobampo. American citizens there have long been clamoring for the sending of an American warship. The Department has hesitated to recommend that step because it was feared it would excite ill-disposed Mexicans to reprisals upon our citizens upon some false idea that the sending of a ship was a sign of intervention. The Department has, moreover, pointed out to the citizens in question that if they wish to leave they can do so by taking the railroad to Guaymas, and thence north by rail into the United States, or to Mazatlan, from which port there are frequent steamers to San Diego and San Francisco. In the last two or three days, however, the situation has changed. The railroad has now suspended service in that locality. The American citizens in the neighborhood of Los Mochis are thus left isolated, unable to leave, and, indeed, out of communication, the telegraph being apparently [Page 785] cut. Their situation gives the Department serious concern, and we have debated the question of sending an army transport to get news of them and to give them an opportunity to leave, the expense to be defrayed, if necessary, from our emergency fund; but since their departure from their small properties will mean their almost complete and perhaps irreparable ruin, it is doubted whether they would avail of the opportunity to leave, and therefore an armed vessel capable of protecting them would seem more appropriate. Here, however, one encounters the fear of wounding Mexican susceptibilities and thus increasing the danger of reprisals, however unreasonable and unwarranted. Indeed, the Mexican feeling in these matters seems to be so morbid that perhaps the Government itself might be affected by the same unreasonable feelings.
The other day the French Ambassador told me that he had a cruiser at Guadalupe awaiting orders. In our dilemma it occurs to me that if we are likely to have to send ships the shock might be broken and the Mexicans might be, to some extent, estopped from raising the cry of intervention, with its disastrous consequences to our people, if some European nations should be the first to have ships drop in at Mexican ports. If this idea should commend itself to you, I might be able to arrange, very confidentially, to have the French and also possibly the British and German Ambassadors each have a ship go to some Mexican port merely to observe the situation. If this course were approved, of course it would have to be carried out with the utmost circumspection and so with the avoidance of the slightest appearance of suggestion from the United States. As to the best manner of dealing with this particularly very difficult situation, I have the honor to await your directions.
Another disquieting element in the Mexican situation to-day is the fact that the American railway employees are going to walk out on the 17th instant. The Embassy thinks that this will much hinder passenger traffic. I considered suggesting on this ground that the time was ripe for a reiteration of the warning to American citizens to withdraw. Because probably the great majority of those disposed to withdraw have already done so and because a reiterated warning might cause too much excitement and revive dangerous rumors of intervention, I concluded not to make the suggestion at this time, although I think it not unlikely that it may be well some time later on to give fresh warning to withdraw if conditions continue to grow worse.
Beyond what is indicated herein the Department is not aware of any radical changes in the Mexican situation. We are still awaiting news of some engagement in the neighborhood of Torreon, and if this engagement should be decisive either way it would probably render the whole situation much easier for this Government to deal with.
The delay in the taking place of the expected battle is noteworthy and may indicate a lack of energy on the part of the Government. If it does, then the representations recommended in this letter are, I believe, calculated to increase the feeling of the Mexican Government that it must restore order. As for the truculent attitude of Orozco, beyond the causes which suggest themselves, it may, of course, be symptomatic of discouragement or desperation on his part. Indeed, [Page 786] his attitude appears so rash that one can not help suspecting that he may even be courting trouble with the United States as a last resort in his desire to ruin Madero at any cost.
I have [etc.]