812.404/1524
The Secretary of State to Senator McAdoo
My Dear Senator McAdoo: Since receiving your note of the 7th instant, I have been considering the Resolution mentioned, and have reached the definite conclusion that its passage would be highly undesirable. Without now discussing it in detail, as I suppose I may have to do in compliance with the request of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, I may briefly indicate the following as among the objections to what it proposes:
- 1.
- On what may be an unwarranted assumption of facts, it undertakes to condemn and indict another nation.
- 2.
- If American citizens have not been discriminated against in the application of the Mexican laws, it would put our government in the position of claiming the right to say what the laws of another country should be in controlling its internal affairs, and
- 3.
- It would seem to infringe the authority of the Executive by a declaration of foreign policy.
I need hardly tell you that I regret that all nations do not take the same view as that we entertain of the right of people to enjoy freedom of religious opinion and worship, but you and I of course realize that it is impossible for us to have our way about this matter.
Since I desire for manifest reasons as far as possible to avoid engaging in a public discussion of the Resolution, I will ask you to regard this letter as confidential.
With best wishes [etc.]