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The United States and the Central American Federation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 December 2015

Kenneth J. Grieb
Kenneth J. Grieb*
Affiliation:
Wisconsin State University, Oshkosh, Wisconsin
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Extract

The administration of Warren G. Harding found itself facing the issue of Central American Union when it assumed office in March, 1921. Central Americans had debated combination since independence, and the question came to the fore periodically, resulting in numerous attempts to reunite the isthmus. But the previous proposals had all faltered when governments favoring confederation were overthrown. The issue was periodically revived whenever renewed coups returned pro-union regimes to power in several of the countries. In this way the debate continued throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, ebbing and flowing with the frequent revolutions, coups, and counter coups that constituted Central American politics.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Americas , Volume 24 , Issue 2 , October 1967 , pp. 107 - 121
Copyright
Copyright © Academy of American Franciscan History 1967

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References

1 Karnes, Thomas L., The Failure of Union (Chapel Hill, N. C., 1961), pp. 204–7, and 211,Google Scholar and Munro, Dana G.. The United States and the Caribbean Area (Boston, 1934), pp. 207–8.Google Scholar

2 Sumner Welles to Charles E. Hughes, October 22, 1921, United States State Department Papers, National Archives, Record Group 59, 813.00/1136a; Thurston (San José) to Bainbridge Colby, January 19, 1921, 813.00/1047; and New York Times, December 11, 1920, 5:4, and January 23, 1921, 4:2. Hereafter, State Department papers from Record Group 59 will be cited by number only.

3 New York Times, January 17, 1921, 23:2, and January 23, 4:2; Welles to Hughes, October 22, 1921, 813:00/1136a; and Thurston to Colby, January 19, 1921, 813.00/1047.

4 Thurston (San José) to Hughes, June 22, 1921, 813.00/1079; Karnes, , The Failure of Union, pp. 214–19Google Scholar; Spencer (Tegucigalpa) to Colby, February 15, 1921, 813.00/1061; New York Times, February 7, 2:5; Jay (San Salvador) to Colby, February 23, 813.00/1057; and Julio Bianchi (Guatemalan Minister in Washington) to Hughes, April 18, 813.00/ 1069.

5 New York Times, February 10, 1921, 6:8, and February 24, 10:3.

6 New York Times, July 21, 1921, 2:7, October 10, 15:5, September 4, I, 5:6, and July 24, I, 18:4; and Spencer (Tegucigalpa) to Hughes, September 3, 1921, 813.00/1107.

7 Dana G. Munro, Memorandum, November 16, 1921, 813.00/1145a; Karnes, , The Failure of Union, pp. 186–9Google Scholar; and Munro, Dana G., The Five Republics of Central America (New York, 1918), pp. 208–14.Google Scholar

8 Welles to Colby, August 20, 1921, 813.00/1065; Welles to Hughes, May 11, 1921, 813.00/1211; and Welles to Hughes, October 22, 1921, 813.00/1136a.

9 Welles to Hughes, October 22, 1921, 813.00/1136a; and Munro to Hughes, November 29, 1922, 813.00/1218.

10 New York Times, November 26, 1922, 8:1.

11 Unsigned Memorandum in the Division of Latin American Affairs, probably by Munro, November 17, 1921, 813.00/1184.

12 Unsigned Memorandum in the Latin American Division, November 17, 1921, 813.00/1184; Fred Morris Dearing (Assistant Secretary of State) to Henry P. Fletcher (Undersecretary of State), December 7, 1921, 813.00/1204; Welles to Hughes, October 22, 1921, 813.00/1136a; and Montgomery Schuyler (San Salvador) to Hughes, September 23, 1921, 813.00/1119.

13 Welles to Hughes, October 22, 1921, 813.00/1136a; unsigned Memorandum in the Latin American Division, November 17, 1921, 813.00/1184; and Hughes to Harding, November 2, 1921, 813.00/1136a.

14 Welles to Hughes, October 22, 1921, 813.00/1136a.

15 Welles to Hughes, October 22, 1921, 813.00/1136a.

16 Welles to Hughes, October 22, 1921, 813.00/1136a, and Dearing to Fletcher, Decem-ber 7, 1921, 813.00/1204.

17 New York Times, June 3, 1921, 17:8; Welles to Hughes, May 21, 1921, 813.00/1209; and Welles to Hughes, May 11, 1921, 813.00/1211.

18 New York Times, July 4, 1921, 2:7 and July 6, 25:1–2; and Fletcher to Welles, October 7, 1921, 813.00/1234.

19 Harding to Hughes, November 5, 1921, Papers of Warren G. Harding, Ohio State Historical Society, Box 300; Harding to Hughes, November 21, 1921, 813.00/1148; and Hughes to Harding, November 17, 1921, 813.00/1145a.

20 New York Times, December 24, 1921, 4:6; Munro to Fletcher, December 23, 1921, 813.00/1166; Munro, Memorandum, November 29, 1922, 813.00/1218; and Karnes, , The Failure of Union, pp. 219–20.Google Scholar

21 Munro, Memorandum, December 15, 1921, 813.00/1187. The United States did not recognize the new Guatemalan government until April 15, 1922.

22 New York Times, December 24, 1921, 4:6; and Munro, , The United States and the Caribbean Area, p. 209.Google Scholar

23 New York Times, February 3, 1922, 17:2.

24 Welles to Fletcher, February 6, 1922, 813.00/1196; J. Butler Wright (Assistant Secretary of State) to Fletcher, May 6, 1922, 813.00/1221; Fletcher to Welles, February 6, 1922, 813.00/1196; and Welles to Hughes, March 1, 1922, 813.00 Tacoma/7.

25 William Phillips (Undersecretary of State) to Francis White (Latin American Division), August 19, 1922, 813.00/1223; and White to Phillips, August 19, 813.00/1224.

26 The agreements are 813.00 Tacoma/1. For newspaper accounts see New York Times, August 18, 1922, 16:2, and August 23, 14:1.

27 Hughes to Harding, October 21, 1922, and Harding to Hughes, October 21, Harding Papers, Box 300.

28 New York Times, October 24, 1922, 16:8; White, Memorandum, October 12, 1922, Harding Papers, Box 300; Munro to White, November 17, 1922, 813.00 Washington/248; and New York Times, October 25, 1922, 21:8. Hughes showed his aspirations by referring to the “forthcoming Central American arms limitation conference” in a speech in Cleveland, New York Times, November 5, 1922, I, 3:3.

29 Pusey, Merlo J., Charles Evans Hughes (New York, 1951), 2, 532 Google Scholar; and New York Times, November 24, 1922, 6:2, and December 5, 21:8.

30 The American proposals are Munro to White, November 17, 1922, 813.00 Washington/248. Backstage American maneuverings to facilitate agreements appear throughout the 813.00 Washington file.

31 New York Times, December 6, 1922, 2:6, December 12, 13:2, and December 19, 32:1; and Washington Post, December 12, 4:4.

32 Washington Post, December 26, 1922, 4:4; New York Times, February 8, 1923, 4:2–3; and Munro, , The United States and the Caribbean Area, pp. 210–13.Google Scholar

33 New York Times, February 8, 1923, 4:2–3, and February 9, 14:3–4.