EXCELSIOR, JUNE 10, 1943 *

WASHINGTON, June 9, (AP) – Rafael de la Colina, Council Minister of the Mexican Embassy in Washington, was noticeably indignant during an interview dealing with the recent assaults on Mexican American youths by military personnel in Los Angeles. He declared that many innocent Mexican passers-by had been beaten. After receiving news from the Mexican consulate in Los Angeles, the Minister added that it was entirely possible that the Mexican government would present a formal protest to the government of the United States and that the Embassy awaited orders from the Mexican government…. Carey McWilliams, president of the National Lawyers Association in Los Angeles, dispatched a petition to Attorney General Francis H. Biddle calling for an investigation of the events surrounding the recent race conflicts. “These conflicts are not isolated incidents,” said McWilliams. “Evidence indicates that the violence which has occurred during this last weekend is the logical response to the policies and methods used by the local police department against the Mexican community over the last 18 months.”