File No. 812.00/23439, 23441.
[Untitled]
At six o’clock the [second plenary] conference was opened with a statement by the Ambassador of Brazil that it had been called at the request of the Mexican delegates.
Thereupon Señor Rabasa said that they had been instructed to state at the first meeting where it could be done that General Huerta’s sole idea was the good of Mexico and that he was willing to resign if that would contribute to such an end, but that his resignation could only be upon the fixed condition that it would contribute to the establishment of firm government.
The American representatives expressed satisfaction at what had been stated by Señor Rabasa and inquired as to whether he was prepared at that time to discuss what he conceived to be the conditions which would establish a firm government.
Reply was made to this that the Mexican representatives heartily approved of their method of private conference with the Mediators and preferred to adopt that method of expressing their views upon that subject and having them communicated to the American representatives.
The American representatives then inquired as to whether there would be a public statement of General Huerta’s willingness to resign or whether it was desired by the Mexican representatives that the communication should be treated as confidential.
With great earnestness they insisted that they regarded it as of great importance that the matter should be treated as confidential.
[Page 505]The meeting then adjourned and the Mediators requested us to meet them again and the time was fixed for tonight at ten.
At this meeting the views of the Mediators, expressed with great earnestness, were as follows:
Mediation between the parties in Mexico is practically impossible while active hostilities are continued. A cessation of hostilities is therefore imperative, and this may be attained either by an armistice agreed to by the parties or by a general embargo against munitions of war, which would have the same practical effect.
General Huerta is represented before the Mediators, and the understanding is general that he will resign. His authority is weakened thereby, while General Carranza is strengthening day by day. The restraint of the mediation proceedings is operative only on the weaker party.
There is grave danger of anarchy in Mexico City as a consequence of the existing situation, which should be promptly met.
General Huerta will give way to a provisional president or junta, but there must be coincident with this an armistice or embargo to ensure respect for the provisional government. For General Huerta to resign without a provisional government to succeed at once, with moral support of armistice or embargo, is to incur the danger of anarchy.
Settlement is impossible if General Huerta is to continue operations in the field, unrestrained in any way and not committed to and even in advance repudiating any adjustment reached by the mediation.
The provisional government, whether a president or a junta of three or five, should be obtained by pursuing constitutional forms as far as possible and so not be a government imposed by strangers.
Above all things a truce of some kind is imperative. From now on, every success gained and every advance toward Mexico City made by General Carranza impairs the work of mediation, and his arrival in Mexico City before the work of mediation is accomplished means the end of it.
In connection with the first step, the establishment of a provisional government, there must be an armistice or what is equivalent thereto. Work of a permanent nature may then be taken up and carried as far as deemed appropriate.