File No. 812.6363/32.
Special Agent Carothers to the Secretary of State.
Have just received following telegram from Mr. Carranza dated the thirtieth, delay in transmission:
It gives me pleasure to refer to your telegram of yesterday and with great interest I read the message that his excellency Secretary Bryan, addressed to you. As I understand the employees of foreign companies that left this country were not expelled by Constitutionalist officers and they may return to their labors whenever they esteem it convenient, I have given orders and I shall now repeat them that the work on the oil wells be permitted as referred to by Mr. Bryan thus avoiding in so far as I and my forces are concerned the damages and losses to which the Honorable Secretary of State alludes. Will you please explain to him also that the oil zones comprehended between Tampico and the Tuxpam River are dominated by the Constitutionalist forces and that should a small Huertista force appear in that region they would be dislodged within a very short time. Regarding the neutralization of the zones that the Secretary of State requests please inform him that this is not necessary because the region is now dominated by our forces; moreover in the lamentable event of a Huertista invasion it would not be possible to agree to his request in order to hinder the military operations whose activities I am so zealously expediting and also because should such benefits be established for some foreigners, others would have the right to expect the same privilege causing great damage to the speediness of our triumph.
Mr. Pesqueira and others are leaving for Chihuahua tomorrow morning to confer with Carranza before he leaves for Monterey and I shall probably join them. Will advise later.