File No. 812.00/14550.
The following communication in Spanish and English addressed to the
President of the United States was received last night through the
Secretary of Foreign Relations.
General Carranza
to the President.
I am in receipt of a communication of the 8th instant from the
Honorable John It. Silliman, in which he transmitted to me the
following from the text of his instructions from the Department of
State:
“We have been anxious and perplexed over the statements in despatches
from Mexico City regarding situation there and have concluded that
the best course at present is for you immediately to see General
Carranza and present a most earnest and emphatic note in the
following sense.
“The Government of the United States has noted with increasing
concern [and so on to the end of the text as printed in the
Department’s instruction No. 508 of March 6, 9 p.m., to the
Brazilian Minister].
Although the terms in which this note is worded would afford me cause
for not answering it, it is my wish, notwithstanding, that my
silence be not construed as a justification of the charge contained
in the same. I have tried to put aside for the moment the references
which are made to my personal responsibility and, looking only to
the good of my country and the benefit of the cause which the
Mexican people have entrusted to me, I thought it my duty to
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answer it at once. On the
other hand, in view of the unusual importance of the subject of the
aforementioned note, I have thought myself authorized not to follow
this time the customary channels but to address you personally
concerning a matter which may involve the success of the Mexican
revolution.
In the note that I am answering it is taken for granted that the
imputations made against General Obregon by an international
committee of foreign residents in the City of Mexico, the substance
of which had been also communicated to me by Mr. Silliman in his
note of the 1st instant, are true; and this assumption has been
indulged in when the answer to those imputations was being
prepared.
Reserving the privilege of answering more fully and in detail through
the customary diplomatic channels the note last referred to, I take
this opportunity to state, in an earnest and emphatic way, that
General Obregon has never intended to incite the hungry populace of
the City of Mexico to commit outrages of any character. He has not
prevented in any way the entrance of food supplies into Mexico City,
but on the contrary he has facilitated such importation. He has not
created wilfully the distressing conditions which prevail at present
in the City of Mexico, but he has done everything in his power to
alleviate them. Such a situation is the consequence, painful but
unavoidable, of the state of war in which we are and which for the
first time has really reached the City of Mexico; but it has been
aggravated by the conduct of the merchants, who openly, defiantly
and with concert of action closed their commercial establishments in
the moment of greatest public distress, as a protest against the
humanitarian relief tax that General Obregon imposed.
In the face of the charges expressed by the international committee
in their complaint to the State Department, I point out to you the
fact that General Obregon has been in possession of the City of
Mexico from the 26th of January until today, without mobs,
assassinations, looting or any other of the outrages which are apt
to occur and which frequently do in time of war. During all this
time large amounts of food supplies have been taken into Mexico
City, and large quantities of supplies have been distributed among
the distressed people, and besides, other important measures have
been taken looking to further relief which I will in detail mention
at the proper time.
While it is proper to state to Your Excellency that the right to
occupy or evacuate Mexico City or any other place in the Republic
must at all times be reserved and be exercised when deemed by the
responsible military authorities to be in furtherance of the cause
of the revolution, the obligation on the Constitutionalist Army to
safeguard the lives of foreigners is nevertheless fully understood
and realized. You will therefore permit me to assure you that at the
time of the evacuation of Mexico City, every facility within my
power will be afforded to all foreign residents in that city to
depart the country or to go to other and safer places in the
Republic.
I have always tried to give, and have given, the largest protection
that has been possible to the lives and interests of Americans and
other foreigners, even during the most difficult periods of our
struggle. I have the purpose of continuing the same line of conduct
and have decided to take all measures possible to avoid all damages
to foreign residents. With this purpose solely in view, I addressed
a note to the Diplomatic Corps in the City of Mexico, which I have
repeated twice to them, inviting them in case of evacuation to come
either to this port or to any of the cities, for instance Puebla,
Jalapa or Orizaba, which are under the control of the
Constitutionalist forces, where they can be assured perfect
protection.
It was only three days ago that the State Department at Washington
directed the attention of American residents in the City of Mexico
to your former advice that they should retire from the country until
conditions should be settled.14 It is my most
earnest wish that the other foreign residents will follow a line of
conduct similar to the one suggested by you to the American
residents, for the adoption of such a course would be the wisest
measure that can be taken to avoid the consequences so much
feared.
I wish I could adequately convey to Your Excellency the political and
economic condition in the City of Mexico and their causes as they
are understood and known here to be, concerning which
representations by an international committee have been made to the
State Department. Perhaps the last effort is now being made by the
reactionaries to bring about complications which may cause the
failure of the ideals of the Mexican revolution. After having
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encountered and disposed
of other and much more difficult and embarrassing situations in the
past, when there were large numbers of foreign residents scattered
all over the territory of Mexico, it will prove to be most
unfortunate if now, when the City of Mexico is alone involved, a
situation shall arise that will destroy the hopes and purposes of
the Mexican people.
Because of this consideration permit me to repeat the hope elsewhere
expressed that the foreign residents may be induced to save your
Government and the Republic of Mexico from embarrassments by
temporarily leaving the City of Mexico.
Allow me to avail myself [etc.]
V. Carranza.
Vera Cruz
, March 9, 1915.
