s of Mexico, both
bearing date the 13th of May, 1846, the day on which the existence of
the war with Mexico was recognized by Congress. It was issued solely
upon the views of policy presented in that message, and without any
understanding on the subject, direct or indirect, with Santa Anna or any
other person.

General Paredes evaded the vigilance of our combined forces by land and
sea, and made his way back to Mexico from the exile into which he had
been driven, landing at Vera Cruz after that city and the castle of San
Juan de Ulloa were in our military occupation, as will appear from the
accompanying reports and documents.

The resolution calls for the "instructions and orders issued to Mr.
Slidell at any time prior or subsequent to his departure for Mexico as
minister plenipotentiary of the United States to that Republic." The
customary and usual reservation contained in calls of either House of
Congress upon the Executive for information relating to our intercourse
with foreign nations has been omitted in the resolution before me. The
call of the House is unconditional. It is that the information requested
be communicated, and thereby be made public, whether in the opinion of
the Executive (who is charged by the Constitution with the duty of
conducting negotiations with foreign powers) such information, when
disclosed, would be prejudicial to the public interest or not. It has
been a subject of serious deliberation with me whether I could,
consistently with my constitutional duty and my sense of the public
interests involved and to be affected by it, violate an important
principle, always heretofore held sacred by my predecessors, as I should
do by a compliance with the request of the House. President Washington,
in a message to the House of Representatives of the 30th of March, 1796,
declined to comply with a request contained in a resolution of that
body, to lay before them "a copy of the instructions to the minister of
the United States who negotiated the treaty with the King of Great
Britain, together with the correspondence and other documents relative
to that treaty, excepting such of the said papers as any existing
negotiation may render improper to be disclosed." In assigning his
reasons for declining to comply with the call he declared that--

The nature of foreign negotiations requires caution, and their success
must often depend on secrecy; and even when brought to a conclusion a
full disclosure