Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, With the Address of the President to Congress December 8, 1914

File No. 812.00/11637a.

The Secretary of State to certain American diplomatic missions.¹⁷

[Circular telegram.]

Department of State,
Washington, April 22, 1914, 12 m.

Senate passed by vote of 72 to 13 following resolution supporting President:

In view of the facts presented by the President of the United States in his address delivered to the Congress in joint session the 20th day of April, 1914, in regard to certain affronts and indignities committed against the United States in Mexico, be it.

Resolved, That the President is justified in the employment of the armed forces of the United States to enforce his demands for unequivocal amends for affronts and indignities committed against the United States; be it further.

Resolved, That the United States disclaims any hostility to the Mexican people or any purpose to make war upon them.

House has accepted Senate resolution without debate. It differed but slightly from House resolution, which was adopted Monday [the 20th] by a vote of 337 to 37.

Please note that the word “justified” is used instead of “authorized.” This was done to emphasize the fact that the resolution is not a declaration of war but contemplates only the specific redress of a specific indignity.

Admiral Fletcher has taken possession of customhouse at Vera Cruz. No resistance at time, but later battery and scattered forces fired on Americans, which was returned. Four Americans killed, twenty wounded. Loss on Mexican side not known; estimated 150.

Bryan

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17. Sent to the Embassies at Vienna, Rio de Janeiro, Paris, Berlin, London, Rome, Tokyo, St. Petersburg, and Madrid; and to the Legations at Brussels, Peking, The Hague, Christiania, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Lisbon, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Lima, Tegucigalpa, Guatemala, Managua, San Salvador, San Jose, and Habana.