Woodrow Wilson to Sir William Tyrrel

I am more than willing to comply with Sir Edward Grey’s suggestions as conveyed to me in your letter of yesterday, which has just been placed before me. My only embarrassment is this, whenever I make any public announcement, it is met by some form of defiance or some indication of irritation on the part either of the Huerta people or the Constitutionalists in Mexico, and the things which are in course of being handled are put back a little and embarrassed.
I beg that you will assure Sir Edward Grey that the United States Government intends not merely to force Huerta from power, but also to exert every influence it can exert to secure Mexico a better government under which all contracts and business concessions will be safer than they have been.
It has taken every possible step, also, to see that property is protected. Again and again every consul of the United States in Mexico has been instructed to warn the authorities, whether at Mexico City or in the North, on this score, and as often it has received assurances that the property of all foreigners would be protected as far as military operations made it possible.
For example, we have just received from the Constitutional commander at Tuxpam the following message:“I am governing on a constitutional basis, my attitude being to guarantee the interests of all foreign and domestic oil corporations existing in the regions I occupy, fulfilling in this manner the demands of civilization, and not being governed by caprice or vengeance.”We have also instructed our naval commanders on the coast to render every possible assistance not only to our own citizens but to the nationals of other countries.
I hope that Sir Edward Grey will feel free to convey the contents of this letter to those British and Canadian investors for whom he, naturally, feels a sympathetic anxiety.