811.504 Mexico/8–2844
Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, by Mr. William G. MacLean of the Division of Mexican Affairs
Mr. O’Donoghue telephoned late Saturday afternoon August 26, to say that he had just been in conference with Mr. Luis Padilla Nervo, Oficial Mayor of the Mexican Ministry of Labor, and Messrs. Manuel Tello and Campos Ortiz, of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, regarding Mexican workers. Mr. O’Donoghue said that Mr. Padilla Nervo reported that the Minister of Labor had talked with the President of Mexico on August 25 and had received instructions to make 25,000 workers available for forge, foundry and tire industries in this country but that the Minister had stated that in order to do this there were a number of questions which had to be settled. Mr. O’Donoghue passed on these questions as follows:
- 1.
- Transportation and per diem must be furnished by the War Manpower Commission for ten Mexican labor inspectors.
- 2.
- Both agricultural and railroad workers must be provided with uniforms. Mr. O’Donoghue said that he had been given to understand that each worker should be supplied with two uniforms and that wages could be docked to cover the cost. He said the suggestion had been made that Army and Navy fatigue uniforms might be available from surplus supplies.
- 3.
- It was requested that workers who entered the United States illegally be returned to Mexico through ports of entry specified by the Mexican authorities. Mr. O’Donoghue said they particularly had in mind the workers who were picked up in the Imperial Valley and other points along the western part of the international boundary and that the Mexican Government wanted them returned from the United States through El Paso and Nuevo Laredo, rather than through Mexicali, so that they would return to Central Mexico where their points of origin are believed to be.
- 4.
- The Mexicans requested that railroad track workers who are only working eight hours a day be given work for ten hours a day. Mr. O’Donoghue said the Mexicans explained that when railroad workers first went up to the United States they were given ten hours a day of work and they had complained extensively when they were cut to eight hours a day, causing much embarrassment to the Mexican Government. He said that it was especially pointed out that only the Pennsylvania and the New York Central were not working the men ten hours a day and that workers on these roads who knew that other workers were earning more because of the ten hour day were particularly vociferous in their complaints.
- 5.
- The Mexican representatives pointed out that apparently certain workers who had gone absent without leave from their assigned work in the United States and who later returned requesting transportation back to Mexico were being thrown in jail and kept there three or four weeks or more. They said that this had taken place in Chicago, and apparently the War Food Administration workers were the ones primarily involved. The Mexicans stated they had no objections to their being rounded up and being returned to Mexico but they did strongly object to having these men placed in jail. They pointed out that such individuals returned to Mexico and had a great deal to say against the treatment given them in this country and that these complaints did not contribute to good neighbor friendship.
- 6.
- It was pointed out to Mr. O’Donoghue that in view of the opposition in Mexico in some circles to these labor programs it was most important for the Government to be in a position of having done everything possible to forestall complaints and that it was considered very important to come to a definite agreement with this Government to the following effect: “That the return to Mexico of Mexican workers in the United States upon termination of the agreement should be carried out at a rate no greater than the rate at which these workers were recruited, according to a monthly average.” Mr. O’Donoghue clarified this point by saying that they wished to draw up a monthly average for the time these contracts had been in force and to have the return of workers to Mexico limited in any one month to the number in that average.
I stated to Mr. O’Donoghue that I would present these matters promptly to the interested agencies and would supply him with a reply thereon as soon as possible. Mr. O’Donoghue said there was particular emphasis on points (1), (2) and (6), and that it was his understanding that the Mexicans desired to have a definite agreement on point no. 6, presumably in the form of an exchange of notes.