File No. 812.00/13699.
No. 66.]
Brazilian Legation,
Mexico City,
October 28, 1914.
[Inclosure—Translation.]
[Untitled]
Mr. Minister: With further reference to
your note dated the 8th inst, I have the honor to advise your
excellency, by express order of the First Chief of the
Constitutionalist Army in charge of the Executive, and for the
information of the Department of State in Washington, as
follows:
In the note referred to, the statement is made that the Department of
State of the United States of America does not consider my note of
the 5th instant as sufficiently explicit and a request is made to
the effect that Mr. Carranza as in charge of the Executive, make a
public statement as follows:
- First. That in all cases when customs charges and other
contributions have been paid to American authorities at Vera
Cruz, such persons shall not be required to pay again such
customs charges or contributions to the Mexican
authorities;
- Second. That upon the evacuation by the American forces,
full guaranties will be given to all persons, excepting
those who have been guilty of crime; and
- Third. That all persons who served the American Government
during the occupation of Veracruz, shall not be regarded as
enemies and will also enjoy full guaranties.
Mr. Carranza as in charge of the Executive power has given me full
instructions to inform you that he did not anticipate the State
Department would make such request in so far as it would be regarded
as a requisite condition for the evacuation of Veracruz, as Bryan on
September 15 last addressed a message to Mr. Carranza in which he
stated that they were taking steps relative to the evacuation of
Veracruz, and in said message no statement was made relative to any
conditions to effect the evacuation. Besides, Mr. Carranza as First
Chief of the Constitutionalist Army in charge of the Executive had
already given amplest instructions to General Candido Aguilar,
Governor and Military Commander of the State of Veracruz, to the
effect that he, acting as his representative, arrange with the
person designated by the American Government the transfer of the
port, such representatives being now agreed as to the manner in
which such transfer would be made, and General Aguilar having
already issued a manifesto in which he declared that guaranties
would be given the inhabitants of Veracruz. Therefore, Mr. Carranza
as First Chief of the Constitutionalist Army in charge of the
Executive cannot make any statements or issue any manifestos to
comply with the requests of the American Government, as the affairs
to which such requests have reference ought to be of the exclusive
initiative of the Mexican authorities, as such requests, being of an
international character, as in the present case, would affect the
sovereignty of the Republic. Mr. Carranza as First Chief of the
Constitutionalist Army in charge of the Executive considering that
this affair should end in a satisfactory way for the better harmony
between both countries, I entreat you to please inform the State
Department that, sustaining its explicit decision of September 15,
it please to fix the date for the evacuation of the port of Veracruz
by the American forces, instructing the representative there to
proceed, in accord with General Aguilar, to make the final
arrangements toward the evacuation.
I again assure you [etc.]
Isidro Fabela
.
Mexico, D. F., October 27, 1914
.
