File No. 811.0144/106
The Ambassador in Mexico (Fletcher) to the Secretary of State
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the Department’s instruction No. 589 of June 15 last, enclosing copy of a note which the Department sent to the Mexican Ambassador at Washington under date of May 21, in response to one of several protests against the crossing of American troops into Mexico, and transmitting [Page 573] a list of violations of United States territory by Mexicans, compiled from reports of the United States War Department. Receipt is also acknowledged of the Department’s instruction No. 701 of September 20, 1918,1 in regard to the same subject.
The Department instructed me, unless I saw objection to such a course, to bring the subject matter of this instruction seriously to the attention of the Mexican Minister for Foreign Affairs, and I was also instructed to advise the Department of my reasons in case the matter should not be presented.
In reply, I have the honor to report that at the time this instruction was received, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, General Aguilar, was ill, and in the hope of his early return to the Foreign Office, I delayed presenting the matter, as I felt it more than useless to bring it to the attention of the Subsecretary.
General Aguilar’s return to duty was delayed, and meanwhile border conditions seemed to have improved so that I think it would serve no useful purpose to bring these incidents to the attention of the Mexican Government, unless as a matter of record. Should other incidents of a similar nature recur, I propose, in calling attention of the Foreign Office thereto, to refer to incidents mentioned in the Department’s instruction.
I trust this course will meet with the Department’s approval.
I have [etc.]
- Not printed.↩