File No. 812.00/15611.
[Untitled]
Mexico City, July 25—11 a.m.
690. I have been requested to transmit to you the following message:
The American and other foreign residents of Mexico City are seriously alarmed by the recently increased disregard of troops and officials of this city for the lives and rights of peaceful residents irrespective of their nationality or position.
The acting Zapatista officials summoned the bankers of the city today and demanded the sum of 500,000 pesos on the ground that this amount must be supplied at once to prevent looting by their penniless and hungry troops. Later these officials secured 300,000 pesos from a government institution which had been previously overlooked and without reference to their demand on the bankers to 200,000. The latter promised them 60,000 pesos and the matter is in suspense. The dangers of looting are very grave; food supplies are nearly exhausted and unobtainable even by persons having money as nothing coming into the city. The violations of property rights are daily becoming more flagrant. Within the past 24 hours an American, a son of the Chargé d’Affaires of Chile, a Swiss citizen and Spaniard traveling in an automobile flying the United States flag and bearing despatches from an official representative of the United States were stopped by soldiers, the despatches and the flag torn into bits and the Spaniard taken away for execution.
For the past three days the American owner of the Mexican Herald, members of his family have been held prisoners on no specified charge and the repeated efforts made by the Brazilian Minister representing American interests here have been contemptuously disregarded.
The Herald, which is the only daily paper published in English here, was suppressed by the so-called authorities and its plant is being used to print El Renovador, their newspaper and political organ.
[Page 729]Daily recurring incidents demonstrate that the lives of men, women and children whom circumstances may place in position to thwart the caprices of the armed savages who terrify this city and its environs are in ever-increasing jeopardy. There is no recognized authority, nothing which by the extreme of courtesy may be called a government. The action taken against the Mexican Herald and its American owners is in open defiance of explicit orders from their own [omission] President, Lagos Cházaro, who unfortunately is in Toluca and to whom numerous appeals for protection have been made. We have appealed repeatedly to the Government for the protection which we feel to be our due and we again ask that effective and immediate measures be taken to afford us that protection.
It is certain that the representations so far made by the Washington Government to the factional leaders in Mexico have served only to increase their manifest contempt for that Government and to incite them to greater outrages against the foreign residents in Mexico.
The American Society of Mexico,
J. D. Helm, Secretary.
The foregoing communication is unanimously indorsed for the truth of its statements by the International Committee of Mexico.
S. W. Rider, Acting Chairman.