File No. 812.00/14497.
Special Agent Silliman to the Secretary of State.
If the Carranza Government carries out the plan outlined by Cabrera and conveyed to the Department in my March 3, 4 p.m., I would consider the Mexico City situation which is already very serious as extremely dangerous, much worse than ever before. Headlines in Mexico papers of yesterday are most discouraging. Labor union publicly inciting to anarchy and the guillotine. Douglas and I conferred at length at noon. He thinks possibly an agreement can be reached to consider the city a neutral zone. In view of the failure of previous efforts this is quite doubtful and difficult. The Constitutionalists themselves declined it when proposed by the Conventionists.7 If it should fail, and if the Department does not feel assured of the prompt opening of the line north, then I respectfully suggest, in view of all the circumstances, strong demand by the Department that railway and telegraphic communication with the city of Mexico must be maintained regardless of whether the place is evacuated by the Constitutionalists or occupied by the Zapatistas. I believe that Douglas would support the demand and that it would be opportune to make it.
- See Mr. Llorente’s January 20.↩