811.504 Mexico/43
The Ambassador in Mexico (Messersmith) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 9.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Department’s telegram No. 1172 of July 22, 11 p.m., 194349 authorizing me to send Mr. Robert G. McGregor, Jr., Secretary of this Embassy, to join Consul General William Blocker of Ciudad Juarez in San Antonio in order that both of them could proceed to Austin, Texas in order to consult with Governor Coke R. Stevenson, of that State, concerning the matter of discriminations against Mexicans in Texas. Mr. McGregor left here on the morning of July 24 and carried with him the original and a translation of a note from the Mexican Foreign Minister addressed to the Governor in reply to a note from the Governor dated July 12, 1943. A copy of the Governor’s letter together with a copy and a translation of Licenciado Padilla’s reply are attached.50 I also enclose a copy of a memorandum of conversation49 I had with Licenciado [Page 565] Padilla prior to McGregor’s trip in which are embodied some instructions for McGregor’s guidance in conducting his talks with the Governor.
Mr. McGregor returned to Mexico City on July 30, 1943 and prepared a report of his trip, a copy of which is likewise attached.51 The Department will note that the following procedure was decided upon: 1) the Governor will address a letter to all law enforcement agencies in the State of Texas calling upon them to be especially vigilant in repressing cases of discrimination against Mexicans as they arise (a copy of the letter is an appendix to enclosure 5); 2) the text of such a letter having already been cleared with the Mexican Foreign Minister and to be published in Texas at a later date, the Foreign Minister agreed to two things: a) to entertain and approve the Embassy’s request for certification of 5,000 Mexican workers for Texas provided some way may be found to avoid such labor moving directly from Mexico to Texas, and b) to the simultaneous publication in Texas and Mexico of the exchange of notes between the Governor and the Minister. This last took place on July 29, 1943 and has already been the subject of despatches Nos. 11,860 of that date and 12,012 of August 4, 1943.52 3) The formation of a Good Neighbor Commission by the Governor of Texas. This Commission would receive complaints of discriminations and, working through established civic organizations in Texas, such as the Chambers of Commerce, Boards of Education and Parent-Teachers Organizations, would carry on effective propaganda work of an educational nature. The Governor will publicly announce the composition of this Commission about August 10, 1943. 4) The Governor has tentatively accepted an invitation conveyed to him informally by Mr. McGregor at the request of Dr. Padilla to attend the Independence Day celebrations in Mexico City as a guest of the Mexican Government. At this time an opportunity will be afforded for discussions of this matter of discriminations.
I have noted with a great deal of interest the memorandum dated July 23, 1943 handed by the Mexican Ambassador to the Secretary of State on July 24,53 a copy of which was sent with the Department’s instruction No. 3871 of July 31, 1943. Most of the facts alleging discrimination found in the memorandum of the Mexican Embassy are taken textually from a report prepared by the Mexican Consul in Austin, Texas, Mr. Luis L. Duplan. This report was originally drawn up in the form of a letter addressed by the Consul to Dr. George I. Sanchez, a professor at the University of Texas and a member of the Committee on Inter-American Relations in the Southwest. The letter of the Consul was dated April 23, 1943. The fact that the Mexican [Page 566] Embassy waited three months to use the facts assembled in the letter would seem to bear out the contention of the Department in its instruction No. 3871 that the Mexican Government is using the request of Texas for workers as an excuse for bringing up the major issue of discrimination.
I have reason to know, however, that if it had not been for the statesmanlike vision of the Mexican Foreign Minister and the President this matter of discrimination would have been permitted to fester in the body politic here. When I first raised this question of labor to Texas with the Under Secretary of Foreign Relations, Dr. Torres Bodet, he made it very clear that he did not consider that such a matter should be presented at this time. The Minister, however, saw clearly that unless this very fundamental problem of discrimination was tackled now, during the war, when relations between our two countries are so closely interconnected, the opportunity to tackle it later might not recur or, if it did, not under such favorable circumstances. The Minister obviously saw that there are powerful influences in Texas which are bringing pressure on the Governor for this labor; he believed that the Governor even if he was not disposed to do anything about discrimination on humanitarian grounds, might be forced to do something about it if the furnishing of Mexican labor was made contingent upon it. The Minister also had the vision to see that relations between Texas and Mexico would not improve but would get worse if he denied a petition of this sort.…
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The Department asks me to comment on the memorandum which the Mexican Ambassador handed to the Secretary. I believe the Department could use this despatch and its enclosures as the basis for a reply to the Mexican Ambassador setting forth therein the steps already taken by the Governor of Texas to handle cases of discrimination as they arise there. I understand that the Coordinator’s Office has established an agency in Austin headed by a competent person to work with established agencies of the Texas State Government to bring an understanding of this problem to the people of the State of Texas. Mention might be made of the tireless work performed quietly by United States Consular officers (particularly Consul General Blocker) along the border. The Foreign Minister has received an entirely personal note from the Governor, a copy of which is attached,54 which should dispel from his mind any idea that might have been falsely planted there that the Governor of Texas is not sincere in his desire to collaborate. At the same time I believe it should be made clear to the Mexican Ambassador that the solving of [Page 567] this problem is one which depends upon the mutual collaboration of all the officials involved. The feeling exists in Texas and I believe it can be borne out by evidence, that Mexican Consuls are being over zealous in the exercise of their protective functions. Entirely too much publicity of an adverse nature pertaining to cases of discrimination can be directly traced to Mexican Consular officials. This only magnifies the problem and disturbs the work of agencies who must work carefully and quietly to be efficient.…
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Respectfully yours,