File No. 812 00/5271.
The American Chargé d’Affaires to the Secretary of State.
Mexico, October 17, 1912—10 p.m.
Minister of War having announced that Government forces were about to bombard Vera Cruz, I at once visited the President and told him in the strongest possible manner that there must be no such bombardment endangering the lives of innocent foreigners and that he must immediately communicate with his commander there to see that no mistake was made. He insisted that the foreign consuls there had been warned to remove their countrymen from danger, a statement which I can not believe, although he later repeated it to the British Minister.
If the Des Moines is at Vera Cruz it should be held there until situation clears. German Chargé d’Affaires asked if Germans could, in case of necessity, take refuge on board, and I replied that the captain would doubtless do everything possible under the circumstances.