File No. 812.00/18609
The Secretary of State to Mr. Arredondo
Washington, August 16, 1916.
Sir: In reply to your letter of June 28, 1916, concerning reports that United States troops under the command of General Pershing had arrested about 300 inhabitants of La Cruz, Mexico, and that Apaches attached to General Pershing’s forces had committed outrages in Mexico, I quote below, for your information, a letter, dated August 11, 1916, from the Secretary of War, relative to the reports mentioned:
Referring further to your letter of July 1, 1916, with which you inclosed a copy of a letter from the local representative of the de facto Government of Mexico relative to the alleged arrest of certain inhabitants of La Cruz, Mexico, by troops under the command of General Pershing, and relative to alleged outrages by Apaches attached to the punitive expedition, I beg leave to quote for information, the following report on the subject by General Pershing, which report was forwarded to this Department by the Commanding General, Southern Department:
The only way fittingly to characterize such reports as this, is to say that they are absolutely false in every respect. During the retirement of our forces to El Valle, from southerly points, including San Geronimo, there was not one single instance of misbehavior on the part of our troops, scouts or employees attached to the command. These charges were made at the time by local Carrancista commanders for the purpose of inflaming the Mexican people against us. The reports reached my headquarters a few days after they were circulated and I satisfied myself then of their falsity.
At no time have the inhabitants of La Cruz or any other town been mistreated in any way either individually or collectively. Troops of this command have been fired on frequently by Villistas or other bandits and they have arrested the perpetrators, but no one else has been molested and none at any time mistreated.
I am [etc.]