Walter Lippmann and the American Century — 19 The Mexican Connection

1. 1. Lippmann helped negotiate a secret agreement that averted an American invasion of Mexico in 1927.
2. 2. Lippmann argued that American imperialism in Central America was unconscious and that the U.S. was a great expanding world power, not a peaceable Switzerland.
3. 3. Lippmann argued that rising Latin American nationalism was not bolshevism but a desire for national independence and dignity.
4. 4. Lippmann sought to discredit the idea that the Mexican revolution was communist and to develop a workable alternative to military intervention.
5. 5. Lippmann criticized the U.S. ambassador and embassy staff in Mexico for being ignorant of Mexican affairs and insensitive to Latin nationalism.
6. 6. Lippmann defended press freedom against Coolidge's attempt to require reporters to clear stories on Mexico with the government.
7. 7. Coolidge appointed Dwight Morrow as ambassador to Mexico in fall 1927, signaling a willingness to compromise.
8. 8. Lippmann helped steer Morrow's Senate confirmation by writing flattering editorials and lobbying Senator Borah.
9. 9. Morrow negotiated a deal with Calles allowing oil companies to keep pre-1917 concessions in return for accepting Mexico's theoretical ownership of mineral rights.
10. 10. Lippmann served as an unofficial link between American Catholics and Morrow's embassy to mediate the church-state conflict in Mexico.
11. 11. Lippmann and Morrow drafted letters between the Mexican president and the archbishop to reach a compromise on registering priests.
12. 12. Lippmann gave Morrow full credit for the Mexican settlement, keeping his own role confidential.