File No. 812.00/1676.
The Mexican Ambassador to the Secretary of State.
Washington, May 5, 1911.
Excellency: Referring to this embassy’s notes 1249 and 1325 of April 15 last and the 3d instant, respectively, to the department in your very worthy charge, I have the honor to say that the foreign office instructs me in a recent note to pursue the misapprehension concerning the shots fired toward American territory,2 since the Mexican Government wishes to dissipate all doubt and leave not even a suspicion in regard to the friendly conduct of our soldiers in their relations with those of this Republic.
The War Department sent to the foreign office the original letter of Capt. Frank A. Barton, of the American Army, commanding the troops at Marfa, Tex., and Gen. Gonzalo Luque’s answer thereto. Capt. Barton’s letter says that on March 22 one of the patrols of Gen. Luque at Ojinaga fired on the American patrols “believing that the Americans were insurrectos.” Capt. Barton did not doubt that it was a mistake and so reported to the War Department, and he requested Gen. Luque to make that statement in writing, with an expression of regret, so as to deny the false press reports.
[Page 477]Gen. Luque replied that the shots were fired by rebels at Mexican federal forces near the river, and he accordingly supposes that some shots reached the point occupied-by the American patrol.
Gen. Luque adds that his soldiers not only were under orders not to make the mistake of harming the soldiers of this country, but that such an error would be impossible, since they daily see the American soldiers on duty.
In his letter Gen. Luque further says:
I should be glad personally to show you the scene of the occurrence, so you could form a correct idea of what happened, and I may add that some of the rebels, as you have doubtless noticed, fired on us with Mausers, the range of which you know; this confirms my belief that it was their bullets that were fired across the river.
As your excellency will please observe in the cited correspondence, the above-named officers are on the best of terms, and this affords me the great satisfaction of reaffirming the assurances given by the Government of Mexico to that of the United States at the time of this incident, which I most sincerely deplore, attended as it was by consequences lamented as deeply by the Government of Mexico as by that of the United States.
I avail, etc.,
- At El Mulato.↩