File No. 812.63/237
The Secretary of State to Mr. Donald C. Catlin
Washington, October 14, 1916.
Sir: The Department acknowledges the receipt of your letter of October 10, 1916,2 with which you enclose a copy of a telegram sent by Mr. H. Vincent Wallace to Mr. Ignacio Bonillas, one of the Mexican Commissioners at Atlantic City, New Jersey, stating that the owners of the Nueva Luz mine at Guanajuato, Mexico, are, at present, unable to resume work at the mine. You ask the Department to bring this fact to the attention of the de facto Government of Mexico in order to prevent drastic action being taken against your property.
In reply you are informed that on October 12, 1916, the Department sent a telegram to its representative at Mexico City, directing him to inform the appropriate Mexican authorities that on account of the recent burning of the head frame of the Nueva Luz mine, and because of the company’s inability to obtain supplies, it is impossible to resume work at the mine immediately.
Inasmuch as your company appears to control other mining property in Mexico, the Department quotes, for your information, the substance of a letter which it has sent to various American mining companies during the past few days:
If you are unable to comply with the decree of the de facto Government of Mexico, requiring you to operate your mines in Mexico, it would appear advisable for you to file a statement with the appropriate Mexican authorities, setting forth the reasons why resumption of work cannot be undertaken at this particular time. Further, it is suggested that you keep yourself fully informed of the developments that may follow the filing of such a statement.
I am [etc.]
- Not printed.↩