411.12 Gomez and Rubio/54: Telegram
The Ambassador in Mexico (Clark) to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received 7:30 p.m.]
219. According to this morning’s press, Minister of Foreign Affairs last night issued following statement to the press with respect to Ardmore trial:
“I am sure that any verdict whereby the murderer of the Mexican students ill Oklahoma should remain unpunished will provoke righteous indignation in the hearts of the Mexican people and that, in view of the many expressions received from the United States itself condemning this crime, public opinion in that country also supports this view.
Since the Government of Mexico has been assured that the American Government has ordered that a thorough investigation be made of the circumstances of this very distressing occurrence, we are awaiting the result of this investigation by the Federal authorities.
Naturally, the Government of Mexico could not say that this incident is closed by the verdict of the jury in Ardmore.”17
Presumably Mr. Estrada’s reference to an “investigation by the Federal authorities” pertains to the President’s message to President Ortiz Rubio that he had ordered “a minute investigation of the circumstances” (Department’s telegram 164, of June 8, 6 p.m.).
An editorial yesterday in Excelsior and today in El Universal deplore in bitter terms the jury’s verdict. Their criticism is vented rather against the jury and against the people of Ardmore than against [Page 718] the United States in general. The editorial in Excelsior in fact points out that the Governor of Oklahoma has publicly deplored the verdict. Press states that various student bodies are sending protests to Washington. Thus far there have been no demonstrations outside the Embassy or Consulate General.
- The defendants had been granted a severance in the cases and Mr. Guess was acquitted, June 27, 1931, on the chargé of murdering Emilio Cortés Rubio (411.12 Gomez and Rubio/138).↩