Evening star., 1927-04-17
MEXICAN LEAK
JOINTLY PROBED
State and War Departments
Unite in Investigation
of Documents.

Charges of thefts and forgery of Of
ments in transit between Washington
and Mexico City, and In Mexico City
itself, rumored in the Capital for two
weeks, weere brought out into the
open late yesterday by an announce
ment from the State Department that
a joint investigation is being carried
on by it and the War Department
with a view to arriving at the facts
and satisfactorily clearing up the sit.
uation."
Assistant Secretary Olds. in the alb
sence of Secretary Kellogg, who is
spending the Easter holidays at Hot
Springs, Va, yesterday discussed the
matter at length with Lieut. Col Ed
ward G. Davis, military attache at the
Mexico City embassy of the United
States. Col. Davis was ordered to
Washington at the instance of the
State Department for this specific
purpose, it was disclosed in state
mont approved by Mr.. Olds. = A quiet
inquiry into the circumstances sur.
rounding the theft and forgery re-
ports has been going on for some
time, even though Secretary Kellogg
had refused to verify the reports and
had refused to indicate the State De.
partment was concerned over them.
Statement of Olds.
A statement issued by Mr.. Olds
made it known that the entire matter
had been also taken up with Consul
General Alexander w. Weddell at
Mexico City, and members of the staff
OF the American embassy there. The
statement follows:
Sometime ago the Department of
State indicated to the War Depart
ment its desire to confer with Col.
Davis at some convenient time when
he should be in Washington. The
War Department communicated with
Col Davis and arranged for him to
be In Washington this week.
Col. Davis called at the State De.
partment this afternoon and Assist
ant Secretary Olds discussed with him.
as he has previously discussed with
Consul General Weddell and members
of the staff of the American embassy
in Mexico, the matter OF the alleged
theftS and forgeries of official gov
eminent documents in Mexico City.
Col Davis visit to Washington Is
incidental to the investigation which
the State Department and the War
Department are carrying on with a
view to arriving at the facts and
satisfactorily clearing UP the stu
alton"
Versions Are Different.
Even as late as Friday. State De-
partment officials disclaimed any in
terest in the visit to Washington of
Col. Davis, declaring 1t was a War
Department matter.
Versions of the thefts leaking into
Washington from several sources have
been different in many respects, but
all have had as their basis Illegal d.
version and Justification of secret cor
respondence between Washington and
the American embassy in Mexico City
on wholesale scale. While some re-
ports have placed the number Of
stolen and revised papers as high as
300, and have represented them as
placing relations between the two
countries on even more delicate
ground than already has been de-
veloped in the notes which have passed
over the Mexican oil and land laws,
other versions were to the effect that
communications from the State De.
partment to Ambassador Sheffield
.
forged matter uncomplimentary to
Mexico substituted and the whole
turned over to President Gales. The
latter Is then said to have returned
the documents to this Government.
Silence Is Unexplained.
officials did not disclose the reason
for the departure of the State De-
partment from its silence on the
subject. War Department author
tiles were at some care to empha-
size, however, that the visit of Col,
Davis to Washington was not in any
degree derogatory to the Array officer
and are known to have been con-
cerned for, fear untruthful accounts
of the incident reflect discredit to
him. Col. Davis has been attached
to the United States embassy in
Mexico City for a year and has three
years of his service there remaining.
Some time ago the State Depart
ment abandoned the use of diplo-
matte pouches in moving the mails
between the capitals of the two
countries, in favor of special mes
sengers No announcement was made
as to whether that development had
anything to do with the reports of
theft and forgery. Extra precau-
tions have been taken, however, at
the State Department Building it.
self where the system of gathering
and disposing of waste paper from
officials offices has been altered. On
at least one occasion, secret service
operatives were placed in the build
ing at night.