812.51/1655
Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of Mexican Affairs (Johnson) of a Conversation Between the Under Secretary of State and the Mexican Ambassador (Téllez), November 5, 1930
Ambassador Téllez accompanied by the new Counsellor of the Embassy, Mr. Herrera de Huerta, called to see Mr. Cotton and brought with him the letter Mr. Cotton had sent him under date of October 31, 1930,23 transmitting for the Ambassador’s information a copy of the Secretary’s letter of October 6, 1930, to Mr. T. W. Lamont, [Page 493] Chairman of the International Committee of Bankers on Mexico. This letter had been sent to the Ambassador by Mr. Cotton following the conversation between the two which took place at the Department on October 29. Mr. Téllez in returning the letter begged that Mr. Cotton would consider it had not been written and said that he did not feel that he could receive it because of the implication which would thereby arise that the United States Government was attempting to interfere in a matter of purely domestic concern to Mexico. He did not dispute our right to send any communication the Department saw fit to Mr. Lamont, but he could not admit that it was within the right of the Department to raise any question with Mexico as to her action in the agreement with the bankers. Mr. Cotton told the Ambassador that he would take the letter at this time, give the matter consideration, and would determine later what action he would take. He also explained to the Ambassador that his purpose in sending the letter was to make sure that the latter fully understood what he had said during their interview on October 29 apropos of the agreement between the Mexican Government and the Bankers and what the Department had said to Mr. Lamont. The letter to the Ambassador with its enclosure was therefore purely informatory.
The Chief of the Mexican Division was present at the talk.
- Not printed.↩