File No. 812.00/14086a.
The Secretary of State to the Brazilian Minister to Mexico.
Washington , December 26, 1914, 8 p.m.
375. Please call upon President Gutiérrez and General Villa at once and secure from them if possible an instruction to Governor Maytorena to carry out the following agreement:
Agreement entered into between General Benjamin G. Hill, ad interim Governor of and Military Commander of the State of Sonora of the Constitutionalist Government, and Señor José María Maytorena, Governor of the State of Sonora of the Conventionist Party:
They agree:
- First. That the port of Naco, Sonora, will be evacuated by the Constitutionalist forces under the command of General Hill.
- Second. Governor Maytorena and General Hill engage not to occupy in any form the port of Naco, Sonora.
- Third. By virtue of the foregoing articles the port of Naco, Sonora, will remain neutral and closed to traffic and to commerce as well as its custom house Until it is taken possession of by a government constituted in Mexico and recognized at least by the United States, or until one of the contending factions in the State completely and substantially dominates the other.
- Fourth. During the military operations of the contending factions they will respect respectively the ports of Nogales in power of the Conventionist troops under General Maytorena and that of Agua Prieta under General Hill, Chief of the Constitutionalist troops in the State. That is, said places will not be attacked for any cause. In the same manner fighting will be avoided in any frontier settlement which faces an American settlement, with the object of avoiding injury to American territory and thus endangering the amicable relations with the United States.
- Fifth. It is agreed that, to conclude and carry into effect the foregoing articles, all the troops under the command of Sr. Maytorena will retire to Cananea or Nogales, Sonora, at his election, and will not molest in any way the troops of General Hill during the evacuation of Naco and march to Agua Prieta. It is likewise agreed that during the aforementioned operations the troops of General Hill will not molest those of Sr. Maytorena.
December 23, 1914.
After full discussion the above agreement was signed by Generals Hill and Calles, also by Robert V. Pesqueira representing Carranza, and has, we are informed, been approved by Carranza. Maytorena declined to sign, on the ground that he did not have the necessary power, but offered to take up the matter with his Government.
General Scott, who secured the agreement, proposed that the matter be submitted to General Villa through this Government. Maytorena agreed to carry it out if he gets the necessary order from General Villa.
[Page 654]The proposed agreement will, if ratified and carried out, stop fighting on the border and relieve the intolerable condition there.