Papers Relating to Foreign Affairs, Accompanying the Annual Message of the President to the Second Session of the Fortieth Congress
Mr. Romero to Mr. Seward.
My Dear Sir: I have the pleasure of transcribing for your information a copy of a circular which I address to-day to the governors of the States of the Mexican republic, remitting to them collections of the documents on the affairs of Mexico, published by the government of the United States while our war with France was going on.
I am your very obedient and faithful servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, &c., &c., &c.
[Untitled]
From the time when our war with France began, the Congress of the United States has asked the President, at each term of its session, for the official correspondence and other information relating to our affairs, and almost always, in a special manner, for that addressed by this legation to the Department of State at Washington. The President has sent in on all these occasions the correspondence which was asked for, which has been printed by order of Congress. In this manner every year, since 1862, there has appeared a volume, of more or less bulk, of the official correspondence on the affairs of Mexico, composed for the most part of the notes and their annexes sent by this legation to the Department of State; that from the department to the legation of the United States in Mexico; that of some consulates of the United States in the republic; that of the legations of the United States in Europe, in so far as the Secretary of State has thought fit to give them to light, and that which has been exchanged upon the same business between this government and the French legation resident in this city.
When European intervention in Mexico appeared imminent, I thought it my duty to transmit to the government of the United States every document of any importance that came into my hands having relation to our affairs. Sure that justice was on our side, and that whatever document should be offered to the examination of this government, and through it to the consideration of the people of the United States and the judgment of the civilized world, could no less than render obvious the bad faith and the groundlessness of the protestations of our invaders, I thought by this course we would gain much without exposing ourselves to any loss. The weight of these considerations increased very considerably when France threw off the mask with which she had commenced the war, and openly declared her [Page 557] object was to uproot the national government of Mexico, to substitute for it a European monarchy, imposed by force, and with the ulterior view, although not confessed, that if the plan should have good result it would reduce our country into a French colony.
The military successes which the invaders gained in the third and fourth years of the war came very efficiently in aid of the efforts of the French government to mislead public opinion respecting the true state of the question, with the object of creating the impression that all was concluded, and that the entire nation had humbly submitted to the adventurer sent by Napoleon as his manager. Our position abroad became worse as that of the French improved, and then there remained for us no choice than to present, in an authorized and efficacious manner, to the whole impartial world our side of the question through the government of the United States.
Having, therefore, these objects in view, I endeavored to submit to this government not only the official reports of the battles fought by our generals, and which showed that the war of independence was actively prosecuted at the very time when Napoleon, on solemn occasions, had declared it had ended, but also all other data which threw some light on the feeling of our people, or the reasons for which it was not possible for us to make more vigorous resistance, and all other incidents of the war, including, as may be supposed, the numerous intercepted correspondences of our enemies.
Among those documents are many of a private nature which, until now, have not met the public eye in Mexico, and the knowledge of which is indispensable to form an accurate opinion of the events of the last six years. My desire to deposit in the Department of State of the United States whatever documents might have relation to our affairs led to the extreme of sending to it many of those emanating from our enemies, all those published by foreign governments which came into my hands, and, besides, the discussions had in the legislative body and senate of France, on the same question. The result of all this has been, that in the six volumes which form the collection of these documents there are most important data that cannot elsewhere be found, and the knowledge of which is indispensable to a just appreciation of events, not merely in what relates to negotiations entered upon by foreign nations about our affairs, as for example between the United States and the French government, but even about the events which were happening in the republic during the war.
Believing that I exaggerate in nothing the importance of these documents, it has, then, seemed to me that it would be proper at least that in the archives of the governments of each of our States, or in the public library that may be therein, there should exist a collection of the said documents, as well that the persons who in future may devote themselves to writing the history of this epoch of trial may, without great difficulty, obtain the data without which their labors would be incomplete, as that the young may profit by the severe lesson which they teach us, and may see how for the moral aid of the United States has contributed to our triumph.
Making, therefore, a great effort to acquire a sufficient number of collections, for there is a great scarcity of the volumes printed in the three first years of the war, I have succeeded in collecting at last what were wanting, and of which I have the honor to send you one, intended for your State. If there should be a public library in it I should think it preferable that you should please to send it there, because thus it would be in the reach of a greater number of persons, and will produce the results the most desirable.
I avail of this occasion to renew to you the assurances of my most distinguished consideration.
The Governor of the State of ———.
Memorandum.
Mr. Romero called at the department this morning at the request of the Acting Secretary, who desired to consult him in regard to the best route for Mr. Campbell to take in order to reach his post.
Mr. Romero advised that if there was no government vessel which could take Mr. Campbell to Vera Cruz, then that his best course would be to go to Havana and there take the English or French steamer for Vera Cruz. If the city should be found to be occupied by the republican forces, land there; if not, then go to any United States naval vessel there and ask the captain to land him at Casa Mata, headquarters of General Benavides, and then he will probably have no difficulty in going from there to the city of Mexico.
Mr. Romero also left a copy of the despatch he had just received from President Juarez, dated San Luis Potosi, May 15, announcing the fall of Queretaro and the surrender of Maximilian.
Memorandum.
Mr. Romero called to-day on Mr. Seward. * * *
Mr. Seward asked Mr. Romero when he thought of going home; to which Mr. Romero answered that he expected he could do so some time next month. Mr. Seward asked Mr. Romero, too, when Mrs. Juarez thought of returning home; and he then said that he would try to place at her disposal a United States man-of-war, which will take her from New Orleans to Vera Cruz or Matamoros, or from New York if this was possible. Mr. Romero thanked Mr. Seward for his good disposition, and promised him to communicate this to Mrs. Juarez.
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The foregoing memorandum is taken from a despatch addressed by Mr. Romero to the secretary of foreign affairs of the republic of Mexico, on the 10th of June, 1867, No. 238, mailed in Washington on the 15th of the same month.
Washington, July 12, 1867.