File No. 612.1123/119a.
The Secretary of State to Special Agent Silliman.
Washington, March 13, 1915.
You will please call upon General Carranza and present a request that he recall his order blockading the port of Progreso. If the request, respectfully and earnestly presented, is not sufficient to induce him to recall the order, you may say to him that in case the order is not recalled, the President will feel constrained to instruct our naval officers at Progreso to prevent any interference with our commerce to and from the port. In case you are obliged to communicate the President’s intentions, explain to Carranza that this is done in the interest of peace and amity between the two countries and with no wish or intention to interfere with the internal affairs of Mexico, which we shall carefully avoid. In case he enters into a discussion of the matter you may, upon your own initiative and not as if under direction from us, remind him that when Huerta attempted to blockade Tampico this Government informed Huerta that it could not allow the interruption of commerce at Tampico. The Constitutionalists approved this action.