File No. 812.00/14089.
American Consulate,
Veracruz, Mexico,
December 13, 1914.
We understand that the substance of this reply was given out before the
same was sent to this Consulate.
[Inclosure—Translation.]
General Carranza
to Consul Canada.
Foreign Office,
Veracruz,
December 12, 1914.
Mr. Consul: I have received the copy of
Mr. Bryan’s telegram which you transcribed to me, relative to the
accidents said to have occurred on the boundary line at Naco; and I
have to advise that, relative to the Constitutionalist forces under
the command of General Benjamin Hill, this general can control and
in fact has been exercising perfect control over them. Although it
is impossible for shots fired by Constitutionalist forces occupying
Naco to wound American citizens on the other side of the line, which
is positively behind them, I have sent, and am now sending anew,
express and special instructions to avoid any accident as the result
of shots fired.
I have no advices of any violation of the rights of American citizens
having been committed and, though I sincerely deplore that accidents
should occur, it would be desirable, in order to place the
responsibilities for damages sustained, that the Secretary of State
ascertain if those accidents really occurred through the
carelessness of the contending forces or by the imprudent curiosity
of the American citizens; as I personally remember that in 1911,
during the attack of the Maderista forces on Ciudad Juares, most of
the accidents were due to the imprudence of the residents of El
Paso, who occupied all elevations trying to see the battle just as
if it were a festivity.
Mr. Bryan says in his telegram that the employment of force would not
be an aggression but a defense; that invasion of the territory of
Mexico would not be intended, nor an interference with its
sovereignty nor an intervention in our strifes. I hasten to call the
attention of the Department of State to the fact that any use
whatsoever of force which the Government of the United States might
attempt to make on Mexican territory, although with the object of
protecting the lives of Americans, would have to be considered by
this Government as an act of hostility and as an attack against the
sovereignty of Mexico, independently of the pacific or well-disposed
intentions that might cover the employment of force.
With the Constitutionalist forces occupying Naco and those of General
Villa attacking it, any intervention on the part of American forces
to end the struggle would have de facto the nature of a step taken
exclusively against the Constitutionalists and in favor of the
Villistas, since the employment of force would result in reducing
the Constitutionalists to impotence by diverting their attention,
leaving the Villista forces free to continue their military
operations.
I should like to find words sufficiently courteous and friendly and
at the same time sufficiently expressive to state to you that the
Department of State does not appreciate to the fullest extent the
seriousness which the use of force on Mexican territory by Americans
would entail and hence I appeal to the good friendship of the
American people toward the Mexican people, earnestly insisting that
the Department of State strive that under no circumstances should
acts of force be employed against us.
I am pleased to renew [etc.]
