File No. 312.67/53.
The Acting Secretary of State to Special Agent Silliman.
Washington, July 23, 1915.
Sir: The Department acknowledges the receipt of your despatch dated June 30, in regard to protection for Syrians in Mexico, and with reference, specifically, to the case of the Syrians reported by you in telegrams from Mexico City in February last as having been executed by order of General Obregon.
A third person note covering the information contained in your telegram dated Feburary 16, which information was substantially the same as that contained in the enclosures to your despatch of February 17, was sent to the Turkish Embassy in Washington on February 20. This third person note ended by saying that fears were entertained for the Syrians on their way to Mexico City from the north. It does not appear from the records at hand that the Turkish Embassy, upon the receipt of this information, made any specific request of the Department for protection for these Syrians, nor does it appear that the Embassy made a formal protest against the execution of the Syrians referred to in your February 16. The Turkish Embassy was also informed of the suggestion in your February 13, that Syrians in the north of Mexico should avoid the vicinity of Mexico City while there was danger of such untoward incidents as the summary execution of the Syrians mentioned by you at that time.
In your telegram of February 13, you stated that the Brazilian Minister had said to you that while he was prevented from acting in the matter of these Syrians on account of the relations of Brazil with Turkey, he considered it proper for you to make unofficial inquiry regarding the matter at military headquarters.
It appears from the records that the Department, on May 6, 1915, sent to the Turkish Embassy in Washington a long memorandum on the subject of protection for Ottoman subjects in Mexico, in which the Embassy was reminded that on January 13, 1915, the Turkish Chargé d’Affaires in this city had been informed that this Government had instructed its officers in Mexico to use unofficial good offices in behalf of Ottoman subjects in accordance with paragraph 174 of the United States Consular Regulatons. In this memorandum it was further stated that this authorization applied only to representatives of this country having consular functions, on account of this [Page 1084] Government’s having no diplomatic representative of its own in Mexico.
You are instructed to use your good offices in behalf of subjects of the Ottoman Empire in any cases of grievances that may come to your knowledge, and to say that you are acting on instructions from this Department, given as a result of the action of the Ottoman Government in entrusting to representatives of this Government the care of Ottoman interests.
You are also instructed to lodge a protest, unofficially, against the summary executions of Ottoman subjects mentioned in your telegram of February 16, and to make a similar protest, in the future, should there be any likelihood of a repetition of such summary action as was taken in the case of the Syrians above mentioned.
The Turkish Embassy in this capital will be requested to designate some one other than the Brazilian Minister to look after Ottoman interests in Mexico City, but it does not appear to be necessary to inform the Carranza officials of this until the selection of some one by the Turkish Government.
I am [etc.]