Office of the Historian

File No. 812.032/15.

The American Chargé d’Affaires to the Secretary of State.

No. 2060.]
American Embassy,
Mexico, September 17, 1913.

Sir: For the informal of the Department, I have the honor to transmit herewith the original text of the message read by the Provisional President of the United Mexican States, at the opening of [Page 692] Congress last night. I also transmit herewith a clipping from the Mexican Herald of today which contains the translation thereof.

I have [etc.]

Nelson O’Shaughnessy.
[Inclosure—Translation—Extract pertaining to foreign relations.]

[Untitled]

The fratricidal struggle that has been exhausting us is fortunately near its end, clue to the efforts of the glorious Federal Army, any praise of which is too little. Besides this struggle the tension of our diplomatic relations with the Government of the United States of America, although fortunately not with that people, have caused us to suffer more than one disappointment that we did not merit from that source and has retarded the complete pacification of the Republic. As this matter is of such a delicate nature and as I have already informed the Permanent Committee and the whole nation of the still uninterrupted state of negotiations, I have only to add that the Government with reason expects soon to see settled the differences that today keep in suspense the friendship that unites us to that powerful and civilized neighbor.

Notwithstanding the very delicate circumstances in which the country has been placed, and to which I will refer in the proper place, our foreign relations have not suffered, and, far from becoming strained, they have been characterized by a more cordially amicable tendency since the country began to emerge from its great revolutionary crisis.

Among the international questions awaiting settlement there are some that have arisen of late on account of the revolutionary conflict and others of an earlier date, which for various reasons had not been settled. To both, the Executive has devoted special attention, the desire being that the Department of Foreign Relations develop an activity commensurate with the urgency that exists at the present time that all questions in which friendly governments are interested be promptly despatched.

The Executive hopes that Mexico will be able to give the most solid guaranties of its good will to the nations with which she is bound by ties of friendship and interest, and she on her side will do her best to the end that all delicate questions pending in our chancellery may soon be disposed of, while upholding, as is right, before all things, the honor and interests of the nation, in accordance with adequate precepts of international law. To this end certain projected conventions will shortly be submitted to the Senate, the general terms of which are the subject-matter of negotiations which have been initiated in a friendly spirit.