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Felix Díaz

Felix Díaz was the nephew of president Porfirio Díaz. Imprisoned by Madero for rebellion, he escaped from jail during the decena trágica and was a party to the Pacto de la Embajada, which installed Huerta as President and allowed Díaz to run as presidential candidate on the next election. Huerta did not honour his part of the agreement and ultimately sent Díaz into exile to New York and later Havana.

Cecilio L. Ocon

On 17 December 1914 the ABNC gave Cecilio L. Ocon a quotation for 28,100,000 notes in five denominations from one to a hundred pesos thus

  Number Total value
$1 20,000,000 $ 20,000,000
$2 5,000,000 10,000,000
$5 2,500,000 12,500.000
$10 500,000 5,000,000
$100 100,000 10,000,000
  28,100,000 $ 55,500,000

 

and by January 1915 had prepared modelsABNC. Ocon was a close personal supporter of Felix Díaz and been involved in the assassination of president Madero: he later was Díaz’s financial agent and supported several of his counterrevolutionary attempts. For this reason I believe that this correspondence, though placed in the Huerta folder, refers to a proposed Díaz issue. The 17 December quotation was sent to Ocon, care of Martin Stocker, at 105 “C” St., S. E., Washington, D. C. so identifying Stocker might help in placing this issue.

El Ejército Reorganizador Nacional

In early 1915 the ABNC received orders for notes for the Ejército Reorganizador Nacional, which was the name of Díaz’ movement. These were to carry the legend “Paz y Justicia” and be signed by the Contador General and Díaz as General en Jefe. The notes stated that they could be redeemed on a New York or San Francisco bank at that rate of 12c U.S. gold for each peso (por el Banco … en New York o el Banco … en San Francisco a razón de doce centavos oro americano por cada peso)”, hardly likely to inspire immediate confidence.

Nothing came of this order and in February 1916 the ABNC destroyed the models it had made for the 25 centavos and 5 pesos notes. Díaz returned to Mexico in May 1916 as the leader of his Ejército Reorganizador Nacional, but his revolt was unsuccessful.

Strangely, on 19 December 1914 the New York Times reported that a new revolutionary movement headed by General José Ines Salazar, recently launched in central Chihuahua, had placed its own currency in circulation. This money, printed in the United States, bore Salazar’s signature and the legend ‘Peace and Justice’ (Paz y Justicia)The New York Times, 19 December 1914. However, Salazar’s attorney told the El Paso Herald, on 29 December, said that Salazar had not as yet issued any manifesto, and the one recently given publication and credited to him was a fake. “[Salazar] will not issue any fiat money to conduct his revolution. He will conduct it without that, ... If any one tells you that money is being issued in the name of the Salazar revolution, tell him that he lies; it is not true”El Paso Herald, 29 December 1914. The activities of the various (and overlapping) counterrevolutionary groups seem to have been confused.