File No. 812.00/11555.
Chargé O’Shaughnessy to the Secretary of State.
Mexico City, April 18, 1914, 11 p.m.
867. Referring to my 865, April 18, 8 p.m. The Minister for Foreign Affairs came to the Embassy at 8.20 this evening and said [Page 470] that he had prevailed upon General Huerta to accept the terms of the United States and that the Mexican battery would salute the American flag upon the assurance that the said salute would be returned immediately afterwards by a United States man of war flying the Admiral’s flag. He thereupon requested me to draw up with him and sign a protocol, a translation of which follows:
draft protocol.
Nelson O’Shaughnessy, Chargé d’Affaires of the United States of America, and Jose Lopez Portillo y Rojas, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the United Mexican States, for the purpose of putting an end to the lamentable incident which occurred on the 9th instant at the port of Tampico arising from the detention of nine marines and one officer of the United States from the crew of the Dolphin, considering:
That said marines were immediately released by General Ignacio Morelos Zaragoza, Military Commander of the Port; that the same officer sent his apology to Rear Admiral Mayo, Commander of the American Fleet anchored in the harbor; that later on, when the incident became known to the Provisional President of the Republic of Mexico, General Victoriano Huerta, he expressed his regrets through the Department of Foreign Affairs and directed that a full investigation should be made in order to punish the person guilty of the offense, should there be one; and, in conclusion, that the detention in question was inspired by the zeal of the inferior officer, who carried the same into effect, a thing which can be easily understood if it is borne in mind that when the above-mentioned marines were detained they had landed without first having permission from the military authorities, and at a time when the port was not only in a state of war but was being attacked by revolutionary forces—
The above-mentioned Chargé d’Affaires of the United States of America and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mexico, acting in their respective characters, hereby agree to the following:
- First, the Mexican Government, moved by its desire to show its friendliness towards the people of the United States of America and acting in a manner similar to that in which the United States has acted in like cases, hereby agrees to salute the American flag at the port of Tampico with twenty-one guns from the coast battery or from that of a Mexican man of war anchored in the harbor.
- Second, the salute mentioned in the preceding article shall be made at the moment at which the American flag shall be hoisted to the top of a staff on the Mexican coast.
- Third, the Government of the United States of America hereby agrees to salute the Mexican flag immediately afterwards with twenty-one guns from the battery of the Dolphin or of any American battleship anchored in the harbor.
- Fourth, the salute mentioned in the preceding article shall be made at the moment at which the Mexican flag shall be hoisted to the top of the mainmast of the above-mentioned vessel or of any battleship anchored in the harbor.
In testimony whereof the present instrument is made in duplicate and signed by the contracting parties.
I informed him that I must submit this to my Government.
I have the honor to request immediate instructions if the above protocol is satisfactory to the President of the United States in order that I may at the earliest possible moment tomorrow Sunday bring this matter to a conclusion.