A Guide to Gale Archives Unbound: Latin America & Caribbean Studies Collection

This archive focuses on Argentina after the era of Juan PerÛn. In this period civilian administrations traded power, trying, with limited success, to deal with diminished economic growth and continued social and labor demands. The documents offer insight into various aspects of the Argentine economy. Examples include: the minister of public works discussing a program in "highways, railroads, and water transport" (June 1960); a report on the newly appointed undersecretary of mines requesting that the embassy's economic counselor have the U.S. government "examine the possibilities of procurement of tungsten" (June 1961); and a resolution by the National Cinematographic Institute requiring that all films exhibited in motion picture theaters feature Spanish subtitles "accompanied by written proof that the dialogue has been has been translated and subtitled in Argentina" (April 1962).

The backstory to this archive revolves around the rise of the Nationalist Revolutionary Movement (MNR), which emerged as a broadly based party. Under President Victor Paz Estenssoro (1907-2001), the MNR "introduced universal adult suffrage, carried out a sweeping land reform, promoted rural education, and nationalized the country's largest tin mines. Twelve years of tumultuous rule left the MNR divided." In 1964, a military junta overthrew President Paz Estenssoro at the outset of his third term. Documents in this collection offer insight into the U.S. state department during the Cold War. Examples include analysis of labor union leadership and its relationship to Communists "united in opposition" and attempting to impose a "Fascist regime in Bolivia." Periodicals such as Prescenia and El Diario are characterized as "organs at service of Communists" (December 1960). The embassy notes how El Pueblo, the Communist newspaper in La Paz, reports a Pravda correspondent expressing "great interest in ëpromoting' relations with USSR" (March 1962).

This archive focuses on Brazil in the early 1960s. Sample documents include a report from Recife on the cultivation and export of pineapples, "especially in the states of Pernambuco and ParaÌba," as "an increasing source of foreign exchange for the Northeast." A November 1962 memorandum details the issuance of 40 billion cruzeiros in new currency "to meet runs on commercial banks during the political crisis, gradually flowing back to the Bank of Brazil following the return of normal conditions." The collection covers the period following the resignation from the presidency of Janio Quadros in 1961 and the succession of Vice President Joao Goulart, whose years in office were marked by high inflation, economic stagnation, and the increasing influence of radical political elements. The armed forces, alarmed by these developments, staged a coup on March 31, 1964, during the administration of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.

The records in this massive archive range from the era of the Great Depression to the height of the Cold War. The period of Radical Party dominance (1932-1952) saw the emergence of a strong middle-class party and its role as the key force in coalition governments. In this era the state steadily increased its participation in the Chilean economy. Documents include: negotiations with British nitrate interests (March 1934); U.S. state department concern of a possible "crisis in Chilean copper production" (October 1940); troops on alert following the refusal of telephone and electric company employees to obey orders to end a strike (January 1950); a student strike at the University of ConcepciÛn demanding adequate financing for the university (April 1950); and a U.S. embassy report noting "Chilean Roman Catholic Church Initiates Own Agrarian Reform Program" and "Moscow Conference Attracts Chileans" (July 1962).

This collection was collected and collated by members of the Committee on Historical Research of the Mexican Revolution, under the direction of Isidro Fabela in 1958, in preparation for the publication of historical documents on the Mexican Revolution. This collection reproduces documents from various archives, under the protection of the Archivo General de la NaciÛn, and is divided into the following documentary series: (1) The Flores Brothers revolutionary activities MAGO: movement Comun in the Baja California region; (2) Revolution and regime Madero: correspondence, reports and military activities, reports on the political situation in some States; (3) Emiliano Zapata, the Plan of Ayala and his agrarian policy: land deals, reports of troops and mail operations; (4) Revolution and regime Constitutionalist: circulars, laws, decrees and manifestos; and, (5) Sovereign revolutionary Convention: together prior to the sessions and sessions held 1914-1915.

The documents in this collection offer a snapshot of Colombia at the height of the Cold War. Numerous records track the impact of the Castro revolution in Cuba, for example: "Colombia Tourist Agent Visits Embassy Regarding Prospective Travel of Colombians on Planned USSR Flights Between Havana and Moscow"; and naval equipment on loan: "Colombian Navy would like to lease ... from the United States Navy, under similar terms as those contained in the lease for the Floating Dry Dock." On the economy: National Coffee Federation tabulations (September 1960); and "it was a sellers' market during December for anyone holding dollars for sale as the Colombian peso continued to fall in relation to the dollar. The free market has advanced nervousness since October" (15 January 1963).

This collection includes U.S. State Department, U.S. Embassy, and Dominican Republic governmental dispatches, instructions, and miscellaneous correspondence dealing with topics such as political affairs and government; public order and safety; military affairs; social matters (including history and culture); economic conditions (including immigration and emigration); industry and agriculture; communications and transportation; and navigation.

This collection contains correspondence addressed to Emiliano Zapata; combat reports; relations with troop commanders and officers; promotion and appointment requests; allegations of abuses committed by military personnel; applications for food, uniforms and ammunition; letters and telegrams on the transfer of prisoners. Document types include: transcripts, journals, laws and draft laws on land, drafts of circulars and manifestos by General Emiliano Zapata; and documents relating to the signing and ratification of the Plan de Ayala organizations.

The documents in this archive trace developments primarily during the administration of John F. Kennedy. Included here are plans by the U.S. Air Force, under an existing understanding between Quito and Washington, to commence photograph mapping operations in Central and Western Ecuador. Documents on commercial affairs include a report on the robust market of U.S. ophthalmic goods in Ecuador with continuing competition expected "from French, German, Swiss, and Japanese products"; and a proposed visit by U.S. fisheries consultants (June 1962).

This collection comprises documentation related to the activities of Emiliano Zapata and the Liberation Army of the South. It consists mainly of correspondence exchanged between the headquarters and the camps and regional commands. Documents include requests for economic aid; guarantees to people for jobs and food; complaints of abuses; reports, promotions, and notifications to the troops and brigades, as well as information on pay. The documentation also includes acts or proceedings on revolutionary and civil trials; correspondence with municipal or State authorities in connection with problems of land, water, control of finance, trade, etc.; and, information concerning the revolutionary Convention sovereign.

This collection, compiled from Cuban sources, spans the period from Cuban independence to the end of the Batista regime. The collection sheds light on Cuban feminism, women in politics, literature by Cuban women and the legal status of Cuban women.

Organized by country, this collection covers a wide range of viewpoints on political, social, and economic issues. It sheds light on the foreign relations interactions between Central American and South American countries. In the Caribbean, Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic are represented. This collection includes cables, memoranda, correspondence, reports and analyzes, and treaties.

This collection documents U.S. influence in Latin America from 1930-1944 and the imperialistic tactics used to maintain influence in the region.

This collection comprises materials on Santo Trafficante, Jr., Meyer Lansky, and Lucky Luciano, including FBI surveillance and informant reports and correspondence from a variety of offices including, Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville, New York City, New Orleans, Atlanta, New Haven, New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago; Justice Department memoranda, correspondence, and analyses; Newsclippings and articles; Domestic Intelligence Section reports; Transcriptions of wiretaps, typewriter tapes, and coded messages; Memoranda of conversations.

The United States kept a contingent force in Nicaragua almost continually from 1912 until 1933. Although reduced to 100 in 1913, the contingent served as a reminder of the willingness of the United States to use force and its desire to keep conservative governments in power. This collection provides documentation on the almost continual political instability in Nicaragua.

The documents in this archive trace developments primarily during the administration of President John F. Kennedy. Reports on commerce abound, including memoranda from the embassy in Managua on total sugar production estimates that may enter the United States. Memoranda on social welfare include: a survey of government-sponsored social welfare organizations as well as details on the National Social Assistance Lottery and the National Committee for the Anti-Tuberculosis Campaign. From the embassy at San JosÈ (Costa Rica) various items are included, such as: "Central America Common Market Meetings Completed"; "Pure Oil Company Not 'In' Oil Refinery Deal"; and "Tripartite Treaty of Commerce" [between Costa Rica, Panama, and Nicaragua] "Goes into Effect" (August 1962).

Documents in this collection trace U.S.-Panamanian relations during the Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy administrations. Issues relating to shipping and the significance of the Panama Canal during the Cold War include: "Panama Stymies Use of Her Flag in Vietminh Trade ... A parallel situation exists in the trade with Red China" (September 1955); and "Ships Enroute to U.S. from Soviet or Satellite Ports" (October 1957). A letter to U.S. Ambassador Julian F. Harrington details "the possibility that the Conference on the Law of the Sea in 1960 would result in a general acceptance by the United States of a six-mile breadth of territorial sea" (April 1960). Other documents chart day-to-day aspects of the economy: a report on sugar production with tables on sugar production and consumption (June 1950); and an announcement by the Panam· Canal Company of a contract award for native lumber (August 1952).

Documents in this collection describe U.S.-Peruvian relations during the Cold War. Examples include: "Both Prensa Latina and Agence France Presse in Lima are staffed by Communists and Pro-Communists"; "Yugoslav ship calls in Peru"; memoranda on U.S. military interest in obtaining permission for essential air transportation traffic transit in Peru; and a letter from Texas Petroleum Company to the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs regarding litigation between the Peruvian Government and the Company. Other records include: "Change in Method of Tax Payment for Foreign Mining Companies in Peru" (January 1960); and "Peruvian ëRights' in Antarctica" (May 1962).

This collection details the political and financial machinations of the fruit companies, the graft and corruption of the national government, the American banking community's loans, the U.S. government's response and the various aborted popular/revolutionary uprisings.

This collection of U.S. State Department records consists of political and military documents relating to the Mexican Revolution and its aftermath -1910-1924. These unique and insightful records provide an unprecedented look at the Mexican Revolution, which began in 1910 and continued sporadically until the new Constitution was adopted in 1917, through to and including the election of Calles.

This collection includes images of the complete magazine, including covers, photographs and advertisements, more than 40,000 pages; a comprehensive electronic index of 6,300 entries, correcting mistakes and inconsistencies found in the index published in the magazine; and a set of images of manuscripts from the first issue as well as an unpublished set of letters by Victoria Ocampo.

This collection concerns United States relations with Panama, particularly Operation Just Cause and its aftermath.

Documents in this collection illustrate Cold War contexts, the role of the United States in Venezuela's foreign affairs, and the centrality of oil in the Venezuelan economy. Examples include a U.S. Department of State telegram titled "Communist Subversion in Venezuela,"; illustrations of the Castro-Communist insurgency in Venezuela include a letter from Ambassador Stewart C. Allen to the Secretary of State. Other documents detail a range of issues, such as: clarification of Venezuelan boundaries; multiple balance sheets for the Central Bank of Venezuela; and police corruption in Zulia, one of Venezuela's twenty-three states.