740.00112A European War 1939/25921
The Chargé in Mexico ( Bursley ) to the Secretary of State
[Received February 25.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Embassy’s despatch 7286 of February 8, 1943, concerning the conference at the Foreign Office on January 25, 1943, between Señor Tello, the Commercial Attaché and the Economic Counselor of the Embassy with regard to Proclaimed List matters, and to inform the Department that following Señor Tello’s promise to submit to the Embassy a statement of the action taken by the Mexican Government with respect to intervened firms, the Embassy received a memorandum dated February 13, 194318 containing data on this subject. Señor Tello recently telephoned the Embassy, stating that he desired to confer with Messrs. Lockett and [Page 483] Bay concerning Proclaimed List matters in general, as well as with regard to several specific cases. The date set for the conference was February 18 at 5 p.m., and accordingly, Messrs. Lockett and Bay presented themselves at the specified hour. Señor Vicente Sánchez Gavito, Assistant Chief of the Diplomatic Section, was also present.
[Here follow three paragraphs dealing with specific cases.]
The three memoranda mentioned herein19 related to reports that the officials of the Embassy, as well as some American consular officers in the Republic, were warning various firms and individuals not to purchase from firms intervened by the Mexican Government. Mr. Lockett observed that the Embassy as well as the consular officers were informing all persons that purely domestic transactions did not come within their consideration in connection with the Proclaimed List, except insofar as it was necessary to point out that persons or firms dealing with Proclaimed List firms and individuals and who might later seek importations from the United States were liable to find that the United States Government would deny export permits of material to such persons. In other words, Mr. Lockett made it clear that in the application of the Proclaimed List, officials of our Government were careful to avoid the appearance of interfering in domestic transactions; but in some transactions, persons trading with Proclaimed List firms might later wish to make importations from the United States. Persons or firms falling within this category, Mr. Lockett emphasized, might find difficulties in obtaining importations from the United States. This distinction, Mr. Lockett observed, might be the cause of the confusion in the reports reaching the Mexican authorities that our consular officers had warned against purely domestic transactions, which was not of course the desire of the Embassy.
Copies of the memorandum left with Messrs. Lockett and Bay are hereto attached.19
In conclusion, it is desired to point out that Señores Tello and Sanchez Gavito were pleased with the result of the conference and said they would await the fixing by Mr. Lockett of a future date for continuing the conversations.
Respectfully yours,
Commercial Attaché