File No. 312.51/76.
The French Chargé d’Affaires to the Secretary of State.
Manchester , July 27, 1914 .
Mr. Secretary of State: The attention of the Government of the Republic has been drawn to the trying circumstances which in May last, attended the arrest at and expulsion from Monterey, by the Constitutionalist authorities, of 14 French citizens, of the Christian Brothers, teachers at the “Instituto del Sagrado Corazon de Jesus” with 300 pupils, and the “Colegio Guadalupano.”
Arrested on May 12, asked to pay 500,000 pesos for the Constitutionalist cause, they were ordered to leave the next day by the very first train. With great difficulty and after repeated calls, the Consular Agent of the Republic, Mr. Pierre Lambreton with the assistance of the American, Italian and Spanish Consuls, finally secured the release of the prisoners and permission for them to leave in three groups on the 14th, 15th and 16th of May.
My Government directs me to bring the occurrence to your excellency’s knowledge and to ask, on this occasion, that the Federal Government will intervene to protect French interests in North Mexico.
By order of my Government I also have the honor to call your excellency’s attention to the fact that the Government of the Republic reserves to itself the right to claim hereafter such indemnity as it may deem commensurate to the wrong done to French interests by the Constitutionalist authorities.
Be pleased to accept [etc.]