File No. 412.00/24.
The Secretary of State to the American Ambassador.
Washington, April 1, 1913.
158. Your 145 of March 30, 1 p.m. * * * As to submitting claims to an international commission you will recall that it was the Department’s desire in the first instance, as you were instructed in the Department’s telegram of February 21, 11 p.m., to have the Mexican Administration commit itself to this course of action with regard to American claims, it being understood that the membership of such mixed international commission would be entirely American and Mexican, save the umpire who should be from some third and quite disinterested nation. While the Department perceives no objection to having other nations request that the claims of their nationals be submitted to commissions similarly constituted, it believes it could hardly expect Mexico to submit all claims to one general international commission, since (while this Government would not permit itself to be party to such combinations) in this way Mexico might by voting combinations be effectively and entirely deprived of having anything whatsoever to say as to the merits, procedure or adjudication of claims, and, indeed, even the proper settlement of American claims, whose settlement is the paramount consideration both for this country and for Mexico, might be seriously [Page 947] interfered with. Referring again to American claims, nothing that has been said by the Mexican Administration, as reported by you, has given this Government any reason for changing its attitude, and it would seem that the Mexican Administration, in view of all the circumstances, should readily have assented to having the American claims dealt with in this way.
Note.—The part omitted from the above telegram refers to recognition of the Huerta Government and is printed under Political Affairs.