612.113/283
The Ambassador in Mexico (Messersmith) to the Secretary of State
Dear Mr. Secretary: I returned to Mexico City late Thursday afternoon, February 10, and I saw Dr. Padilla68 on Friday for a long talk. I will not go into detail except on one phase which has to do with the Mexican Government raising the duties on some 600 to 700 items in their customs’ tariff. You have undoubtedly by this time been informed in the Department that Mr. Suárez, the Minister of Finance, has indicated to us that, with the President’s approval, he intends to postpone the application of the duties in question for another 90 days beginning February 18.
Dr. Padilla raised this matter on his own instance. He said that he had not known about this proposed increase on these items until the Decree was published. You will recall that when we talked about this in the Department first, I told you that I was confident that Dr. Padilla knew nothing about this matter and had not been consulted with reference to these increases, but that it had been done through direct recommendation by Suárez to the President. Padilla said that he was as much disturbed over this wholesale increase of rates as we were and that he had immediately on hearing from us in Washington secured the effective date of the rates for one month as we had requested. He said that now it was proposed that the rates not be made effective for another 90 days, so as to give us some time to discuss the matter. He further was of the opinion that there should be no increase [Page 1219] in rates whatever and that the Decree as a whole should be made ineffective. He said that he was talking to the President in this sense and that he had talked with Suárez at the request of the President in that sense. He said that Suárez was making difficulties so far as the suppression of the increases as a whole was concerned, but that he was agreeable to the further 90 day delay. Padilla said that he was confident, however, that the President would take a position that there should be no increases whatever.
I will not go into detail in this letter and at this time, but I did want to get this personal and private word to you without delay, that the probabilities are very strong that next week I will get from the Foreign Office a formal note to the effect that this increase in duties has been abandoned. If we get this highly satisfactory action, which I believe we will, we owe it entirely to the understanding attitude of the President and of Dr. Padilla and to the energetic and completely understanding representations which Dr. Padilla made to the President.
I have wanted you to have this encouraging word without delay because it shows what understanding action we can get, and do get, from the President and the Foreign Minister here. It is further indication that in matters affecting Mexico we must show the same understanding action with respect to her problems. I have at this time specific reference to the freight car embargo, concerning which I have written you separately today.69 We cannot expect to continue to get such understanding action from the Mexican Government, as we have been getting, if we on our side do not show similar understanding.
I hope to send you a telegram next week to the effect that this whole question of the tariff increases is wiped out definitely.
I am hoping that when this letter reaches Washington, you will already have left with Mrs. Hull on your holiday and that you will get a real rest.
With affectionate regard from Marion and myself to you and Mrs. Hull,
Cordially and faithfully yours,
This information is at present for your personal information, & should not go further, as final decision has not been made. I am giving you this preliminary information as I know how much you, as I, have been preoccupied over the proposed action of Mexican gov’t.70