File No. 412.11/49.
The American Ambassador to the Secretary of State.
Mexico, January 16, 1912.
All Governments whose nationals have suffered property damages during the recent revolution have submitted claims to the Consultative [Page 953] Claims Commission either through their legations or by suggestion to the claimants to deal directly with the Commission.
All of them are submitting or have advised the submission of all classes of claims to the Commission, with the exception of China and Germany in cases of loss of life or of personal injury.
The Commission is working very slowly. My colleagues inform me that they are dissatisfied with both the lack of industry and the conclusions of the Commission. It is generally believed that it has adopted a policy of elimination rather than of adjudication. There is no system of classification nor any defined attitude except perhaps a disposition to pay vouchers signed by Maderista officers and to refuse to recognize damages caused by mobs or by rural guerilla bands.
No American cases have been settled. Two British cases have been thrown out on the ground of lack of jurisdiction. And yet the Minister for Foreign Affairs tells me that it will not be inappropriate for us to submit our cases to the Commission. This looks like playing foretime rather than serious treatment.
I have addressed a strong note to Calero relative to the Alamo cases and have his reply, which contains no direct promise. I will send him today an additional and very forcible note on the frontier cases, and make a personal visit to the President to request preferential attention to these cases.
I recommend diplomatic treatment of the border and Alamo cases, which fall clearly within well-established precedents, and are likely to become matters of public discussion and perhaps criticism. I recommend that for the present the status quo relative to all other cases be maintained.