811.2226/429
The Ambassador in Mexico (Messersmith) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 29.]
Sir: I have the honor to inform the Department that the Mexican Foreign Office recently handed me an informal draft of an exchange of notes providing for the reciprocal exchange of military deserters. There is enclosed a copy of the suggested draft along with the translation thereof.23
The military and Naval attachés and the Chancery of this Embassy are in agreement as to the desirability of such an arrangement. At present it is possible but difficult to obtain the return to the United States of military deserters through the operations of the Mexican immigration and other laws. So far there have been only a limited number of cases of American deserters in Mexico but the individuals involved have been of particularly undesirable types and haye caused loss of prestige to the United States during the period of time necessary to effect repatriation. It is to be assumed that as time goes on there might be a substantial increase in the number of deserters coming here. These deserters are apt to be criminals or otherwise of such character as to cast discredit upon our country. From our point of view it would, therefore, seem to be wise to anticipate the possible increase in desertions and to have established the machinery for the return of the deserters to the United States. From the Mexican point of view, some such procedure also seems to be desirable. The Mexican military authorities inform us that because of high wages now prevailing in the United States, they anticipate an increase in the number of deserters from the Mexican armed forces. They are anxious to prevent these desertions from their forces into our country. It is quite possible that the existence of such an arrangement would tend to discourage the desertion of Mexicans and this, in an indirect sense, should also be helpful to our Immigration authorities.
[Page 413]The Department is requested to inform this Embassy whether the attached draft would be acceptable to our Government. If the draft is not acceptable, it would be helpful to the Embassy to have a counter-draft for informal presentation to the Mexican authorities.
Respectfully yours,
- Not printed.↩