812.504/1375
The Consul at Mazatlán ( Hinke ) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 9.]
Sir: I have the honor to report that the anti-Chinese campaign in Sinaloa, which received considerable notoriety during 1931, has been resumed during the past two months in the northern part of this State. An account of recent activities submitted to this office by the American Consular Agent at Los Mochis, Sinaloa, is enclosed with this despatch.56
According to information recently furnished to the Consulate at Mazatlán by a member of the Chinese colony resident in this city, some eighty Chinese inhabitants of Guasave and other towns of Northern Sinaloa were taken into custody by the local Comités Nacionalistas and were sent by truck to the State of Nayarit. He stated that on arrival at Mazatlan his compatriots had only the clothes they wore when they were seized, that they were given no opportunity to take clothes or other possessions with them, and that they were suffering from exposure, cold and hunger.
[Page 841]Vice Consul Earl W. Eaton of this office was informed by the Presidente Municipal of Tepic, Nayarit, with whom he conversed during the past week, that within the last fortnight 196 Chinese refugees from the States of Sonora and Sinaloa passed through Tepic bound for Jalisco and points in the interior of Mexico. The trucks were supplied with fuel and food was contributed to the refugees. More recently, some 15 Chinese, including women and children, left Ruiz, Nayarit, bound for Guadalajara. It is locally reported that in both instances the Chinese were placed under guard in Guadalajara while awaiting transportation to the interior of Mexico in order to prevent these Chinese from remaining within the State of Jalisco. The exact destination of these unfortunate individuals appears to be unknown.
According to officials of the State of Nayarit, Chinese residents of that State have not been molested, although the State authorities have been unable to give refuge to Chinese driven out of Sinaloa and Sonora. As already stated, however, they have been assisted in reaching Jalisco.
It is understood that the Chinese residents of Mazatlan have contributed a considerable sum of money for street repairs in this city, estimated as high as Pesos 5,000, but that otherwise they have not been molested during 1933.
Further developments of possible interest to the Department will be reported as conditions warrant.
Respectfully yours,
- Not printed.↩