File No. 812.00/4422a.
The Secretary of State to the Secretary of the Navy.
Washington, July 13, 1912.
Sir: This Department has been informed by the American Ambassador at Mexico City, who was recently in Washington under orders to confer with the Department regarding the political situation in Mexico, by Mr. Claude E. Guyant, the Department’s special representative on board the Army transport Buford during its mission to the west coast of Mexico to bring American refugees back to the United States, and various other persons whose recommendations and opinions are worthy of respect, that the presence of a United States war vessel in Mexican waters at this time on a friendly visit would be productive of a desirable moral effect upon the minds of the local population, would add to the prestige of this Government, and would cause greater respect to be shown in the future both to this Government and to the citizens of the United States resident in Mexico.
Accordingly I have the honor to request that the Navy Department will, at its convenience in the near future, order a war vessel to make such a visit to the west coast of Mexico. This Department understands that the U. S. S. Annapolis is at present at San José de Guatemala, and if that vessel is available it is suggested that upon the termination of its duty at San Jose de Guatemala it be ordered to proceed northward along the west coast, touching at Salina Cruz, Acapulco, Manzanillo, San Bias, Mazatlan, Altata, Topolobampo, and Guaymas, remaining a day or two at each place, or longer in the event the commander thinks that any good will be accomplished thereby, so that the populace may learn of the presence of the ship and take notice of it and the ship’s officers may get in touch with local officials, both civil and military.
It is requested that the commander be fully acquainted with the Department’s purpose in having his ship undertake this visit, and that he be given broad instructions so as to enable him to promote in every way possible good feeling between our two Governments and to impress upon the local population the strength and power of the vessels of our Navy.
The Department has no decided preference as to the order in which the west-coast ports shall be visited [etc., regarding the details of the itinerary].
The Department begs to observe in this connection that the visit of an American warship to the east coast of Mexico, where British, German, and French war vessels are frequently seen, would be no less impressive and would be even more valuable than a visit to the west coast. It is accordingly suggested that shortly after the completion of the west-coast visits a powerful battleship, if it can be spared (and if it can not, the largest and most impressive ship available), be despatched for a series of visits similar to those just suggested for the west coast, to the Mexican Gulf ports of Tampico, Vera Cruz, Puerto Mexico (Coatzacoalcos), and possibly Frontera and Progreso, since the presence of a really formidable vessel at these [Page 818] places would not only attract much attention locally but would indeed be noticed much more by people in the interior of the country than a vessel visiting the west coast, which is a much more isolated section.
I am [etc.]