Office of the Historian

File No. 20292/82D.

The Acting Secretary of State to the Mexican Chargé.

Department of State,
Washington, October 15, 1909.
Informal.

Dear Mr. Dávalos: Responding to your request by telephone that a copy of the American protocol of arrangements for the meeting of the two Presidents at El Paso and Juarez, on the 16th instant, as it stands after the various alterations, be sent you, I inclose you herewith a program copied from the original, with the changes in question, as I understand them, inserted.

Faithfully, yours,

Alvey A. Adee.
[Inclosure.]

Protocol of arrangements for October 16, 1909.

The escort for the President of the United States on the occasion of his meeting with the President of Mexico at El Paso, Tex., on October 16th next, shall consist of the headquarters’ band and two squadrons of the Third Cavalry; Batteries A, B, and C, of the Third Field Artillery; and the Ninth Infantry from Fort Sam Houston, Tex.; all under the command of Brig. Gen. Albert L. Myer, commanding the Department of Texas, who will be accompanied by his staff.

The following program is suggested for the meeting of the two Presidents at El Paso at 11 o’clock a.m., on October 16th.

Shortly before 11 a.m. the Secretary of War, accompanied by Brig. Gen. Myer, with his staff, two squadrons of Cavalry with the band, and the three Batteries of Field Artillery shall proceed to the point where the President of Mexico, attended by his personal suite and an escort of 20 Mexican cavalrymen, will enter the territory of the United States. The Secretary of War will act as the personal representative of the President of the United States to receive President Diaz on the boundary as he descends from his carriage to enter the carriage which will convey him to President Taft. The governor of Texas and his military staff and the mayor of El Paso will likewise accompany the Secretary of War to the boundary.

It is understood between the Mexican foreign office and the Department of State that for the sake of convenience the El Chamizal region, which lies between the cities of El Paso and Juarez, shall be considered for this occasion neutral territory, and that there shall be no flags of either nationality displayed therein. The President of Mexico will be welcomed in the name of President Taft at the entrance of the city of El Paso, outside of the El Chamizal zone. The President of the United States will be welcomed in the name of the President of Mexico on his arrival at the entrance of Juarez city. In this manner the Chamizal zone, the sovereignty over which is at present under dispute, will be left in statu quo.

Upon the arrival of President Diaz at the place indicated the Secretary of War and the governor of Texas will proceed to President Diaz’s carriage. The Secretary of War will shake hands with President Diaz, and in the President’s name will extend an appropriate welcome. Thereupon the governor of Texas will extend a welcome in the name of the State of Texas, and the mayor will welcome the President in the name of the city of El Paso. The band will then play the Mexican national air. The Secretary of War and the governor of Texas will escort President Diaz to the carriage awaiting his reception on the American side. As President Diaz steps into the carriage the appropriate salute of 21 guns will be fired by the American batteries. The Secretary of War will ride with President Diaz, sitting at his left; the personal aide to President Diaz will sit on the opposite side of the carriage.

The Mexican troops which have escorted the President of Mexico as far as the northern border of El Chamizal will there await the return of the presidential party, with the exception of an escort of 20 Mexican cavalrymen, who [Page 430] will continue with the President of Mexico into the territory of the United States to the house where he will be received by President Taft.

The escort will then proceed to conduct the President of Mexico to the President of the United States, in the following order:

  • Brig. Gen. Myer and staff.
  • One squadron of Cavalry.
  • President Diaz’s carriage.
  • Carriage containing Secret Service agents, two of each country.
  • Carriages and personal escort of President Diaz.
  • The governor of Texas and staff.
  • One squadron of Cavalry.
  • The Field Artillery.

The Infantry shall be drawn up in proper positions near the house where the two Presidents will meet and will salute upon the arrival of the President of Mexico.

The aide to the President of the United States will meet the carriage containing the President of Mexico upon its arrival at the house and will assist in conducting President Diaz to the presence of the President of the United States.

The President will be attired in frock coat; the President of Mexico in uniform.

The Secretary of War and the Secretary of Commerce and Labor will stand immediately behind the President of the United States.

President Taft will then welcome President Diaz informally in a few words, and the President of Mexico will reply briefly. The whole character of the meeting and its keynote is to be the conspicuous yet informal celebration of the cordial relations existing between the two countries. The persons composing the respective suites will then be introduced. Light refreshments will be served, champagne and sandwiches.

After having received the welcome of the President of the United States the President of Mexico will withdraw in the same manner in which he arrived, receiving the same salutes as he received when he first crossed the border.

At 12 o’clock noon the President of the United States will go over to Juarez city, where he will be received, in a building to be named, by the President of Mexico. On the occasion of this call the President of the United States will be escorted to the southern border of El Chamizal by the same American troops that escorted the President of Mexico to President Taft and in the same manner. The American troops which have escorted the President of the United States as far as the southern border of El Chamizal will there await the return of the presidential party, with the exception of an escort of 20 American cavalrymen, who will continue with the President of the United States into the territory of Mexico to the house where he will be received by President Diaz. The governor of Texas and the President’s aide will ride in the President’s carriage as far as the border. The President’s carriage will be immediately followed by a carriage containing the Secret Service agents of both Governments. The Secretary of War and the Secretary of Commerce and Labor will follow in carriages immediately behind that of the Secret Service agents, and other carriages in appropriate order will contain the other invited guests.

Upon arriving at the border the President will be welcomed by a personal representative of the President of Mexico. The President will descend from his carriage and, accompanied by his aide and the personal representative of the President of Mexico, will proceed, surrounded by the Mexican escort, to the building set aside for the reception. The governor of Texas will ride from the border to Juarez city in one of the carriages of the invited guests and will leave his military staff on the American side.

Having also descended from their carriages the invited guests will enter the Mexican carriages allotted to them and will follow the carriage of the President of the United States.

The ceremonies and procedure of the meeting of the two Presidents will be the same as during the previous meeting at El Paso.

The President of the United States will leave El Paso at about 5.30 p.m., for Juarez city to attend the banquet of the President of Mexico. The President will be escorted to the point where he will cross the border by the two squadrons of Cavalry, arranged one in front of his carriage and entourage and the other in the rear thereof. As on the previous occasion the governor of Texas will drive with the President as far as the border. At the border the President will change carriages and will proceed to Juarez city accompanied by the personal representative [Page 431] of the President of Mexico, and the governor of Texas will proceed in one of the carriages allotted to the guests.

The President of the United States will be attired in a dress suit. There will be two toasts only at the banquet, namely, those of the two Presidents. The President of the United States will be accompanied to the banquet by the Secretary of War, the Secretary of Commerce and Labor, the governor of Texas, the Senator from Texas, Mr. Bailey; Brig. Gen. Myer and staff, the mayor of El Paso, and Capt. Butt, the aide to the President.