Excerpts of the President's News Conference

Here is an inquiry relative to the status of the correspondence with Mexico relative to their land laws. About all I can say about that which can be understood without entering into a long explanation about rather technical matters would be that Mexico has made large concessions to the demands of the United States on these questions, but that there are still a number of questions that have not been definitely determined. I am informed by the Secretary of State that so far as he recalls he has had only one specific complaint—he has knowledge of only one complaint—that has been made in relation to the taking of church property in Mexico, I mean specific complaint that this property has been taken and not a general complaint about the taking of church property that was lodged with our Ambassador there and our Ambassador made representations to the government relative to it and was informed that it would be adjusted. It is very hard to say whether American citizens have suffered indignities in Mexico. That is rather a broad term. Some of them have been expelled from Mexico. The Mexico Constitution has that 33rd Article, which gives the Mexican Government authority to expel anyone. That is known in Mexico as "33ing" people. It gives the government absolute authority to expel anyone they may desire to expel. That is sometimes resorted to. Whenever it appears to be used without any action on the part of the person against whom it is used that would justify it, it has been the practice of our Ambassador there to intercede, sometimes successfully and sometimes unsuccessfully.