811.504 Mexico/8–2544
The Ambassador in Mexico (Messersmith) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 29.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Department’s telegram No. 1457 of August 2, 1 p.m., requesting me to bring before the Mexican Government the desire of our Government that 25,000 additional unskilled workers be recruited, more particularly for the forge, foundry and tire industry. I also have to refer to my despatch No. 19,245 of August 4,22 and to various telephone conversations and informal letters addressed to Mr. McGurk in the Department of State on this matter. I also have to refer to my despatch No. 19,483 of August 15, 1944,22 reporting further progress and to the effect that the President of Mexico had given his provisional agreement to the recruitment of these 25,000 additional workers.
I now have to inform the Department that the Minister of Foreign Relations, Dr. Padilla, informed me today that he had again discussed this matter with the President of Mexico yesterday who had given appropriate instructions to the Ministry of Labor towards carrying through the recruitment of these 25,000 additional unskilled workers. The Minister stated that the recruitment could begin as soon as the appropriate machinery could be set up. He said that the recruitment would have to be carried forward in the larger cities and I. gathered that he had particularly in mind Mexico City. I feel confident that these additional unskilled workers will have to be recruited in the cities and more particularly Mexico City in view of the fact that one of the factors which has been holding up action on this matter is that there is this considerable opposition in so many quarters in Mexico already to the recruiting we are carrying on of agricultural workers and track workers in various parts of the country. The Minister said that the President wished to be helpful in this matter in view of the urgent representations which I had made on behalf of my Government.
The Minister said that undoubtedly some additional recruiting machinery would have to be set up and as this involved certain problems, he would ask me to have the appropriate officers of the Embassy meet with the Under Secretary of Foreign Relations, Dr. Tello, and [Page 1323] the Oficial Mayor of the Department of Labor.23 Provisional arrangements for a meeting of this kind have been made for tomorrow morning when certain details will be discussed and thereafter the Embassy will get immediately in touch with the Department to inform it of some of the practical details involved in the recruitment of these workers. I am confident that additional machinery will have to be set up in addition to that which we already have for the recruitment of track workers and agricultural workers.
I think I should inform the Department that this favorable step on the part of the Mexican Government is only taken by it as a clear indication of its desire to collaborate with us for the recruiting program already presents many internal difficulties in Mexico and this additional recruitment of labor will undoubtedly cause some comment on the part of those who are opposed to the recruiting program in general. For this reason the action of the President of Mexico is all the more indicative of his real desire and determination to collaborate with us.
Respectfully yours,