811.504 Mexico/2–2546

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Mexico (Messersmith)

restricted
No. 8478

Sir: Reference is made to your despatches no. 28,200 of January 29, 1946,95 and no. 28,212. of January 31, 1946, and to previous communications between the Embassy and the Department, regarding the clandestine crossings of Mexican nationals into the United States and the desirability of control measures. There is now enclosed for your information a copy of a letter dated February 25, 1946, from the Attorney General,96 who stresses that the Immigration and Naturalization [Page 1029] Service has cooperated in every possible way to remedy the existing situation and urges that efforts be made to have the Mexican Government first, lift the ban on deportation of Mexican nationals to Lower California, second, take such steps as may be possible to prevent the removal of Mexican nationals from the interior of Mexico to the border, and third, arrange in so far as possible for the transportation to their homes in the interior of Mexico of those Mexican nationals returned to Mexico by this Service. There are also transmitted for your information the enclosures97 to the Attorney General’s letter of February 25. One of those enclosures, it will be noted, is a copy of a letter dated January 24, 1946, which the Department received direct from the Immigration and Naturalization Service on the same subject.

In view of the fact that this difficulty in controlling clandestine border crossings is somewhat chronic and in view of the fact that the steps requested by the Attorney General are included in or stem from the special arrangement which was made in Mexico City in May and June of 1944, which have not been carried out by the Mexican Government, the Department questions the effectiveness of a further formal request to the Mexican Government on this subject at the present time. However, since the recent request to increase vigilance originated with the Mexican Government and since you have discussed the matter recently informally there, it might be desirable for you or some member of your staff to discuss the matter informally with responsible Mexican officials with a view to making clear to them that this Government is very actively working to control this movement, but that its efforts have not been successful in large part because the Mexican Government has apparently not taken the steps which it agreed to take in the understanding reached in 1944.

The Department will appreciate being informed of the nature of any conversations held on this subject and will also appreciate having your comments in order that the Department may prepare an appropriate reply for the information of the Attorney General.

Very truly yours,

For the Secretary of State:
Spruille Braden
  1. Not printed.
  2. Letter from the Attorney General of the United States, Tom C. Clark, not printed.
  3. None printed.