The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-30
U. 5. MAY SELL ARMS TO OBREGON
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 by President Harding in letter to Secretaries Week and Denby at the time that Poland was understood to | have made informal overtures for the purchase of surplus rifles and ammu- nltion from the United States
 Following is the text of President Harding's letter to Secretary Weeks on that occasion:
 Referring to your inqury for ad- vice relative to the sale of surplus arms and war supplies to proposed purchasers among foreign powers l am writing to say that hope it will be the policy of the war department not only to make no sales of war equipment to any foreign power, but that you will go further and make certain that public sales to our own citizens will be attended by proper guarantees that such supplies are not to be transferred to any foreign pow er I would gladly wave aside any financial advantage that might at tend such sales to make sure that none of our surplus equipment is employed in encouraging warfare any place in the world. I am writing a similar note to the Secretary of Navy and shall confidently expect the CO., operation of both departments in ad- herring to this policy"
 At the time of it's publication Presi- dent Hardings letter was generally construed as a blanket prohibition upon any sales of war material r6 l foreign countries. Decision of the Coolidge administration to make sale contemplated to the American govern ment was taken, however, as meaning | that in cabinet circles either a more liberal construction has been placed upon the Harding policy statement, permitting each question of sale of arms to be solved upon its merits as | 1t arose, or that the present situa- ton in Mexico and the desire of the United States government to see stable government maintained there and insurrectionary outbreaks dis | couraged, justifies adeparture from previous policy.
 Was Doubtless Opposition.
 There is little doubt that the de- cision to sell arms to Mexico met | with some opposition in the war de- partment. Army officials would not | talk of the matter for the publica- tion, however.
 Whatever they may feel as to the 1 policy involved, they have no function of advice except in purely military matters and in the present case probably have not been called upon to say any thing more than that the army had In storage surplus stocks of arms sufficient to meet Mexican re- qufrements without depicting neces- sary reserve stocks for the American | forces.
 Significance is attached to the clause In the state departments brief statement calling attention to the re- cent restoration of diplomatic rela- tions between Mexico and the United States. The Obregon government has already procured ratification by the Mexican senate of their special claims convention, one of the two pacts worked out by a joint com mission to pave the way for formal l diplomatic recognition by the United States. State department advices to- | day said that the second convention | known as the general claims con vention, had been formally taken up for discussion by the Mexican sen ate. It was evident that early rati- l fication of the second convention | also was expected in official circles
 Up to the present time the Wash irgton administration has main tained complete silence as to its in- terviews regarding the uprising against the Obregon government in | Mexico. At the same time, however, l great emphasis has been paid in all l recent official communications with l Latin American countries and in the | public address of Secretary Hughes which touched on the policies of the | United States toward Latin-America l upon the extreme importance at tached in Washington to stability of the other governments of the Pan American group.
 Mass Believed Holding off.
 In this connection officials pri- vately have declared their belief that the De La Huerta uprising had never disclosed itself as being in any true sense a revolution in which the Mexican people. or any large portion of the people, were attempting tc | change either their form of govern | ment or their government officials The official reports reaching the state department from many parts of Mexico on the progress of the De La l Huerta movement have in genera
 had contrary view of the situation indicating specifically in some cases the opinion of consular or other ob- servers that "the man in the street. | in Mexico was holdhg aloof from the revolt and that the struggle was 1 one between political and military | leaders and their immediate fol 1 lowers.
 It also has been pointed out that l for the first time In many years Mexico appeared to have reached the point With me entering Of the Obre- gon regime into power and it's final agreement in the claims conventions to meet the American point of view as to the rights of foreigners in Mexico, where a reasonable degree Of peace and continued stability of government was to be expected. The whole policy of succeeding adminis- trations in Washington, it is added, has been directed toward procuring such conditions beyond the border and the decision to make available the Mexican government a reason able amount of war material from American surplus army stocks is un- derstood to be in accordance with the feeling of the Washington gov ernment that peace in Mexico can best be served by aiding to this ex- tent the restoration of order by the recognized government of that country.