740.0011 Pacific War/956
The Mexican Chargé (Quintanilla) to the Secretary of
State
[Translation]
Washington, December 8, 1941.
Mr. Secretary: On telephonic instructions
from my Government, I have the special pleasure of forwarding to
Your Excellency a copy of the statements which have just been made
in Mexico City by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Ezequiel
Padilla. In this document, the Government of Mexico announces the
decision which it took today to break off diplomatic relations with
the Japanese Empire.
As the statements of Secretary Padilla are themselves sufficiently
explicit, it is unnecessary for me to expand upon the extraordinary
importance which the enclosed document has, not only for Mexico and
the United States, but also for the fate of Pan Americanism.
I take this opportunity [etc.]
[Enclosure—Translation]
Declarations of the Department of Foreign
Affairs of Mexico, Made December 8, 1941
On repeated occasions the Government of Mexico has made public
the purposes of unshakable solidarity which inspire the policy
of our country’s relation with the other nations of this
continent. In conformity with this attitude, Mexico—during the
Meeting of Foreign Ministers held in Habana in 1940—agreed to
consider as an act of aggression against itself any attack by a
non-American State which
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should injure the fundamental rights of any of the Republics
of this hemisphere.
The Government of Mexico, which has invariably advocated the
absolute respect of international engagements voluntarily
contracted, cannot fail to consider—as a natural consequence of
the aforesaid declaration—that the maintenance of its diplomatic
relations with Japan is incompatible with the act of aggression
which the latter has committed against the United States of
America.
Accordingly, instructions have been given to our Minister in
Tokyo that, after notification of the foregoing to the
authorities near which he is accredited, he shall proceed to
close the Legation and the Consulate in Yokohama.
The above decision has been communicated to the Minister of Japan
in this capital for similar effects, there having been
cancelled, from this date, the provisional authorization granted
to Consular Agents of the said Empire in the Mexican
Republic.
