812.52/2701: Telegram
The Ambassador in Mexico ( Daniels ) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 20—12:40 a.m.]
139. Before delivering the memorandum17 from the President today Beteta spoke very earnestly saying the President’s desire and intention was to pay for lands expropriated in monthly payments beginning in June and paying as much as possible during his administration. He wished me to give him the figures of claims by Americans but I told [Page 664] him that we did not have the full tabulations. He also asked me if we could give him some of the cases we deemed the hardest because they were anxious to make extra efforts to meet such cases promptly. I could not do so feeling that it would not be wise to discriminate. Beteta’s greatest emphasis in his talk was the desire of the President that the people of the United States would realize the sincere desire of his country to treat them justly and for the Mexican population to feel the same way toward the United States. “We know,” he said, “that the officials of both Governments are friendly and seek friendly accord but if the rank and file of the people of both countries lacked the confidence in each other it would make difficulties for officials no matter how friendly they are.”
Mr. Beteta recognized that the memorandum is not as concrete as the President desired but he said he wished my Government to know that President Cárdenas is sincere in his intention of meeting the desires of the United States in the fullest way possible. This was the burden of his conversation which I am transmitting along with the President’s answer.
- Memorandum from the Mexican Ministry for Foreign Affairs to the American Embassy, April 19, not printed.↩