812.00/19710½
President Wilson to
the Secretary of State
En Route,
October 26, 1916
.
My Dear Mr. Secretary: I am taking the liberty
of sending you a copy of a letter I have just sent to the Secretary of
War. I do this for your information in order that we may all take
counsel together and omit no precaution.
Cordially and faithfully yours,
[Enclosure]
President Wilson
to the Secretary of War (Baker)
My Dear Mr. Secretary: Rumors have reached
me from a number of different quarters that influences are at work
from this side of the border to bring about from the Mexican side
another raid into the territory of the United States by the
irregular Mexican forces. These rumors may be ill-founded, but they
are so persistent and definite that I do not feel it would be right
to ignore them.
I, therefore, write to request you to apprise General Funston of
these rumors and to instruct him to be unusually on the alert that
every source of information may be taken advantage of and every
precaution adopted that is possible in the circumstances, in order
that every vulnerable point of the border where American property or
lives are exposed may be safeguarded to the utmost.
Cordially and sincerely yours,
