Ypiranga incident
Ypiranga Incident | |
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Part of the Vera Cruz, Mexico | |
Result | German ship captured then released |
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28th President of the United States
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The Ypiranga Incident occurred on April 21, 1914, at the port of
Ypiranga tried to enter the harbor at Vera Cruz to unload on the first day of the
Background
In February 1913, General Victoriano Huerta launched a
Huerta sought an agent to purchase the arms he needed, and began working closely with Leon Raast, the
Shipment
The manifest obtained by the
Raast shipped the arms to
US actions
The US sought to prevent off-loading of the arms to Huerta. Wilson ordered on 21 April 1914 US troops to occupy the customs house at the port of Vera Cruz. The Ypiranga was a privately-owned vessel, but the German government declared it part of the Reich's navy, which would protect it from US seizure. The German government filed a protest with the US State Department, saying that seizing the ship and its cargo was a violation of international law, since the US and Mexico were not officially at war. The US apologized for overstepping, but also hoped that it could persuade Germany to cease supplying more arms to Huerta. The arms remained on board the Ypiranga but were off-loaded at Puerto Mexico. More arms for Huerta arrived at the same time on other ships owned by the same company as the Ypiranga.[citation needed]
Although the incident had the potential for greater conflict, in the assessment of historian Friedrich Katz, "the affair had no further consequences and was quickly forgotten," attributing this to the shift in German policy which came more in line with that of the US in May-June 1914.[9]
References
- ^ a b Thomas Baecker, "The Arms of the Ypiranga: The German Side," The Americas, Vol. 30, No. 1 (Jul., 1973), pp. 1–17 Published by: Academy of American Franciscan History
- ^ a b Ypiranga and Bavaria Unloaded Cargoes at Puerto Mexico.; First had 10,000 Rifles – The New York Times, 28 May 1914
- ^ "Guns of the Mexican Revolution". 25 August 2011.
- ^ Michael C. Meyer, "The Arms of the Ypiranga," The Hispanic American Historical Review, Vol. 50, No. 3 (August 1970), p. 546 Published by: Duke University Press
- ^ Katz, The Secret War in Mexico, pp. 232–235.
- ^ Meyer, p. 547
- ^ Report of Scully, agent, Department of Justice, December 17, 1913, RDS 812.00/10284
- ^ Heribert von Feilitzsch, In Plain Sight: Felix A. Sommerfeld, Spymaster in Mexico, 1908 to 1914, Henselstone Verlag LLC, Amissville, VA, 2012, p. 356
- ^ Katz, The Secret War in Mexico, p. 240.
Further reading
- Katz, Friedrich. The Secret War in Mexico: Europe, the United States, and the Mexican Revolution. Chicago: University of Chicago Press 1981.