US+Official+Foreign+Policies

[|Woodrow Wilson]The involvement of the United States in the Mexican Revolution began during the current dictator of Mexico, Porfirio Diaz's, campaign for a seventh term. He met with United States President William Taft to discuss interactions between the two countries. Strangely, this was the first time in history that a United States President and a Mexican President had ever met in person. Diaz had always been viewed as a proponent of the United States because of his lenient policies regarding U.S. citizens and businesses within Mexico. The official foreign policies of the United States regarding Mexico were arranged so as to benefit all Mexican economic projects and industries in which the US was invested. A key figure in United States relations with Mexico was U.S. ambassador Henry Lane Wilson. Ambassador Wilson was appointed by President Taft in 1909 and was the United States ambassador to Mexico until 1913 [2]. When Francisco Madero assumed the presidency of Mexico, Wilson missed the days of Diaz. Wilson and Madero did not get along in the slightest. Madero had been hoping to replace Wilson with a new ambassador once Woodrow Wilson had been inaugurated [3]. General Huerta and Felix Diaz secretly conspired with ambassador Wilson prior to the fall of Madero. While rebel troops marched on the National Palace, Wilson sent a letter to Madero protesting the military action in Mexico city because it endangered American property and lives. Wilson urged the other diplomatic representatives in Mexico city, such as those from Britain, Germany and Spain, to also send letters. After the fall of Madero, Wilson then negotiated the agreement between Huerta and Felix Diaz concerning who should assume the provisional presidency before new elections could be held. Wilson referred to General Huerta as the "savior of Mexico" [4]. The most controversial piece of Wilson's decisions as an ambassador was his refusal to intervene on Madero's behalf, even when asked by Madero's wife and other diplomats. Wilson's advice to Huerta was that he do "what was best for the country" [4]. Madero was then assasinated by two officers of the rural police. Although ultimately, this is the effect that Wilson desired--to remove Madero from power--President Huerta was never fully recognized as leader of Mexico by Woodro Wilson because of his methods of gaining power (effective assasssination). Although originally the US was in favor of Huerta taking power from Madero, they quickly withdrew their support after Madero's assassination. Woodrow Wilson became President of the United States in 1913 and his presidency meant a new era in United States- Mexico relations. He refused to recognize President Huerta's regime. His justification was that Huerta had not come to power through legitamate means and was not accepting of Huerta's means of dealing with Madero. Wilson also believed that Huerta would not be able to provide an adequately stable situation for American economic interests, although he allowed arms shipments to Huerta's army but not to the revolutionary armies. The final straw for Wilson was that Huerta clearly favored Britain. According to a letter sent from President Wilson to British officials, Wilson was willing to "force Huerta from power" and " secure Mexico a better government under which all contracts and business concessions will be safer than they have been" [4]. With the start of World War I, both England and Germany reduced their support for Mexico. When Wilson agreed to allow uniform rates on all British cargo that passed throught the Panama canal, he effectively ended British support of huerta. Wilson's next move was to lift the embargo on arms to Carranza's revolutionary armies. In an effort to curb strained relations betweent the United States and Mexico, Wilson organized a conference in Niagara Falls. His more hidden motive was the intention to force Huerta into exile and establish a new government over which Wilson could exert greater influence. Unfortunately for Wilson, Carranza refused to play ball.

From the rule of Diaz until the end of Huerta's reign of power US politicians manipulated Mexican politics so as to most benefit the US economy. The US aided Madero in his quest to overthrow Diaz, only to convince Huerta to overthrow Madero once the US realized that Madero wasn't best serving the US economy. Now we see that President Wilson is unhappy with Huerta and his administration because they didn't carry out their uprising against Madero exactly according to the US's wishes. Woodrow Wilson, the president of the United States when Henry Lane Wilson was in the ambassador's position, considered Madero among his friends, and when Ambassador Wilson convinced Huerta to remove Madero from power by illicit means, President Wilson was very displeased, and refused to recognize Huerta officially.[6] Francisco Madero, and Victoriano Huerta

Carranza was eventually able to take control of Mexico. President Wilson was willing to acknowledge Carranza's assumption of the presidency, but he was unwilling to officially recognize Carranza's regime because Carranza refused to oblige the various demands of the United States. Essentially these demands boiled down to define the Mexican government's policy towards the rights of foreign economic investors, and other domestic matters. One of the most crucial actions on the behalf of the United States was the arms embargo placed on Carranza's adversaries.

Group 1 Project Home [1] Handelman, Howard. //Mexican Politics: the Dynamics of Change//. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997. [2] Kent, Emerson. Henry Lane Wilson. 2008. [|www.emersonkent.com/history_notes/henry_lane_wilson.htm]. September 13, 2008. [3] Tuck, Jim. Glorious Innocent: the Tragedy and Triumph of Francisco Ignacio Madero. Mexico Connect. 1999. [|www.mexconnect.com/mex_/history/jtuck/jtmaderofi.html]. September 13, 2008. [4] Keen, Benjamin and Keith Haynes. //A History of Latin America//. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. [5] Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library. Woodrow Wilson Biography. Virginia. [|www.woodrowwilson.org/learn_sub/learn_sub_show.htm?doc_id=351487]. September 14, 2008. [6] Jim Truck, //Glorious Innocent; The Tragedy and Triumph of FRANCISCO IGNACIO MADERO// 1999, http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/history/jtuck/jtmaderofi.html, September 12 2008