File No. 704.6712/4.
Ambassador Morgenthau to the Secretary of
State.
American Embassy,
Constantinople,
March 10, 1915.
Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith
copy and translation of a note verbale from the Sublime Porte, dated
the 9th instant, relative to the representation of Ottoman interests
in Mexico by United States officials.
The Sublime Porte states in its note that it has instructed the
Ottoman Chargé d’Affaires in Washington to make further
representations at the Department with a view to obtaining official
American protection for Ottoman subjects in Mexico and requests the
good offices of the Embassy in the matter.
I have [etc.]
[Inclosure—Translation.]
The Ministry of Foreign
Affairs to Ambassador Morgenthau.
Sublime Porte,
Constantinople,
March 9, 1915.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is informed by a telegram from
the Imperial Embassy at Washington that the Government of the
United States of America has consented, according to the
Department of State’s answering note of the date of January 13th
No. 15, to instruct the officers of its service in Mexico to use
their unofficial good offices in favor of
Ottoman subjects who found need to have recourse to
them conforming to the principles given in paragraph
174 of the Consular Regulations of the United States.
The terms underlined not being able to express effective
protection which would follow from even the terms of article 174
of the consular regulation of
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the United States, thus given: “The
diplomatic and consular officers become the agent of the foreign
government by reason of the duties that he has filled regarding
the citizens or subjects of it,” the Ministry for Foreign
Affairs asks the Embassy of the United States of America to
please support with its Government the requests that the Ottoman
Chargé d’Affaires at Washington has been told to make again to
the Department of State in order that the officers of the United
States might be charged with the official protection of Ottoman
subjects in Mexico.
