File No. 312.115/99.
Vice and Deputy Consul Germon to the Secretary of State.
Progreso, October 1, 1914.
Sir: I have the honor to advise that the local State Government has issued a decree declaring a forced loan amounting to 8,000,000 [Page 779] pesos, to be contributed by all having a capital of real estate valued at more than 100,000 pesos.
The various allotments thus far run from 10,000 to 500,000 and the time allowed to contribute same was fixed at 5 days after date of said decree, namely, September 28th.
No definite conditions have been made upon which the loan is to be effected, that is to say, the contributors are expected to pay over this money” without a guarantee as to when same will be returned, nor for any specified length of time. These conditions are to be determined by the Government later on, as stated in the decree.
I have been approached by several Americans inquiring as to whether there existed a treaty exempting American citizens from such forced payment, and I have been unable to find anything in the Consulate upon a subject of this sort. I would appreciate advice from the Department upon this point, both where the American citizen owns property here, as well as when he does not.
I have [etc.]