Office of the Historian

711.1211/12: Telegram

The Chargé in Mexico (Summerlin) to the Secretary of State

[Paraphrase]
Mexico, June 10, 1921—3 p.m.
[Received June 11—4:52 a.m.]

134. Department’s number 83, June 6, 5 p.m.27 Just received reply from Pani that definite actions to which you refer are:

  • “1. The claims law, which practically establishes mixed claims commission, will soon be promulgated;
  • “2. It is to be expected, in view of declarations made at different times by Executive and Chamber of Deputies, that organic law under article 27 of the Mexican Constitution will be promulgated shortly in conformity to the principle of nonretroaction, and this would leave the Supreme Court of Mexico no other course than to join the two other branches in such a just proposal;
  • “3. The proposition made by the Government to arrange with creditors for renewing the services of the public debt is to be carried out at once.”

I inquired of him what these declarations of the Chamber of Deputies might be, and he replied that he referred to certain statements made by members of Petroleum Committee of the Chamber of Deputies and to a speech made some time ago, advocating the principle of nonretroaction, and stated that the applause which greeted the speech indicated that the principle was supported. He thought the above-mentioned organic law would be acted upon within the course of a few weeks.

Summerlin
  1. Ante, p. 406.↩