812.248/10
The Ambassador in Mexico ( Sheffield ) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 6, 1927.]
Sir: I have the honor to inform the Department that according to this morning’s edition of the newspaper Excelsior four Douglas Aeroplanes ordered by the Mexican Government in the United States were received and are “now operating in the Yaqui district with excellent results”. It is stated that they were assembled at the station of Ortiz, having arrived packed in special cases and it having been necessary to equip them with machine guns and bombing apparatus. It is stated that although it is true that the American Government prohibited the exportation of the entire order of “aeroplanes placed in the United States”, four of them had already crossed the border and was impossible to “carry out the instructions of the officials of the White House”.
On the other hand the newspaper El Universal of today’s date publishes a telegraphic despatch from Nogales, Arizona, dated yesterday to the effect that on December 27, eight aeroplanes intended for the Mexican Government arrived at Nogales but can not be exported in view of the refusal of the American Government to grant permission for such export. It is added that it has been decided to warehouse the planes with the Walker Transport Company.
I have [etc.]