File No. 812.00/2884.
The American Ambassador to the Secretary of State.
Mexico, February 24, 1912—3 p.m.
Department’s February 24, 11 a.m. Should the President deem it necessary for the protection of American lives to order troops across the line at Ciudad Juárez as a police measure, such action should be accompanied by a full statement of the reasons and necessities there for, indicating the intention to immediately withdraw troops after the restoration of order. What effect this action would have with reference to the safety of Americans in Mexico generally can not be certainly stated, though in all probability there would be attempted attacks in besieged portions of the Republic, notably Guadalajara and this city, from which places there would be echoes in other parts of the Republic.
It is perhaps wise to risk the error on the side of safety and advise the withdrawal of Americans from Mexico. Department should consider the advisability of handling the matter in such manner as may procure a speedy and effectual withdrawal should attacks on Americans become wholesale and the Government unable to afford protection; and whether a large number of Americans leaving the country would not bring on the attacks which the Department desires to prevent.