This index to the Records of the Department of State Relating to Political Relations Between Mexico and Other States, 1910-1929, collection provides the dates each reel covers. Government Information MAY NOT hold all of these reels. The record in the library catalog describes the extent of our holdings. For help, or to make an appointment to view a reel, email rad@colorado.edu
On the 2 rolls of this microfilm publication are reproduced records from the decimal file of the Department of State, 1910-29, that concern political relations between Mexico and nations other than the United States. They are mostly instructions to and despatches from our diplomatic and consular officials in Mexico and in other states. Also included in these records are notes between the Department of State and foreign diplomatic representatives in the United States, memoranda prepared by officials of the Department, and correspondence with officials of other Government departments, with Members of the U. S. Congress, and with private firms and individuals. The Lists of Documents or "purport sheets" reproduced on Roll 1 give brief abstracts of the documents reproduced in this microcopy and serve as a finding aid to the documents themselves. The arrangement of the entries on these lists corresponds to the arrangement of the documents in the file.
Since 1910 the central files of the Department of State have been grouped and arranged by a decimal system of subject classification. This decimal file initially consisted of nine primary classes numbered 0 through 8, each covering a broad subject area. Under Class 7, Political Relations of States, the documents are arranged according to the countries concerned. Each country has been assigned a 2-digit number and the numbers for Mexico and Japan, for example, are 12 and 94, respectively. Thus the documents reproduced in this microcopy bearing the file number 712. 94 concern political relations between Mexico and Japan. The digits that follow the second country number represent a specific subject. This number, in turn, may be followed by a slant mark (/). The numbers that follow the slant mark are assigned to individual documents as they are accumulated on a specific subject. For example, a decimal file number taken from a document reproduced in this microcopy is 712. 942/9. The digit 2 following the country number for Japan (94) signifies that the subject is the negotiation of a treaty of amity, commerce, and navigation between Mexico and Japan, and the number following the slant mark indicates that this is the ninth paper received on this subject.
The documents under one subject classification are generally in chronological order, coinciding with the document number assigned (which follows the slant mark). There are instances, however, when a document file number was not assigned until a date considerably later than the one on which the document was received.
Cross-reference sheets that refer to related records under other subject classifications in the decimal file have been reproduced as they occur and appropriate cross-reference notations appear in the Lists of Documents. Other cross-reference notations are to documents in the "numerical file," a system used for the central files of the Department of State for the period 1906-10. This numerical system of assigning consecutive numbers to subject case files was replaced by the decimal system of subject classification in 1910.
Before filming the records a search was made by the National Archives and the Department of State for missing documents. The checkmarks that appear by most entries in the left-hand column of the Lists of Documents indicate that the papers are in the file. The absence of checkmarks denotes that the documents were not found; it is believed that they were not among the records when they were received from the Department.
This file contains communications received from and classified by foreign governments and Federal agencies other than the Department of State. Those documents that have not been declassified are not available as part of this microcopy. The National Archives and Records Service does not have authority to make reproductions of such documents available to searchers.
Most of the records reproduced in this microcopy concern efforts made by the Mexican Government to expand its influence in and improve its relations with countries in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, counteract the influence of the United States in these countries, gain the recognition of countries in Latin America, Europe, and the Orient, and negotiate treaties of arbitration, of alliance, and of amity, commerce, and navigation.
There is correspondence relating to such matters as General Obreg6n's foreign policies, boundary problems between Mexico and Guatemala and construction of an international bridge over the Suchiate River, efforts made by Mexico to encourage ourist travel from El Salvador, Mexican propaganda in Costa Rica, consular convention of 1928 between Mexico and Panama, decoration of General Obregtfn by the Chilean Government, severance by Mexico of diplomatic relations with Venezuela in 1923, growth of sentiment that the "deanship" of the United States in South America should pass to Brazil, criticism of the Mexican Government and of President Dfaz in the Cuban press, official opposition of the Dominican Republic to the establishment of diplomatic relations with Mexico, proposals for settling British claims against Mexico arising out of the Mexican Revolution, Anglo-American policy in relation to Mexico and Latin America, attitude of Spain and The Vatican toward the Calles government, mission to Mexico of Count von Moltke, Danish Minister to the United States, desire of Poland for recognition by Mexico, development of commercial relations between Mexico and the Soviet Union, relations of Mexico with Germany during World War I and the effect upon relations with the United States, Calles' plan for an Immigration and Colonization Office to facilitate German and Russian colonization in Mexico, campaign in the Mexican press against the Italian Fascist government and Gino Macchioro Vilvalba, Italian Minister to Mexico, treaty of May 25, 1927, establishing diplomatic and consular relations between Mexico and Turkey, question of Mexican extraterritoriality rights in China, efforts of Japan to promote further political and commercial relations with Mexico and Central America, and negotiations by Mexico to purchase munitions from Japan.
A table of contents, indicating the document number range and the subjects covered by the documents on the two rolls of this microfilm publication, is filmed after the information on related record groups given below.
The spreadsheet attached below contains a reel-by-reel description of the complete collection.