Mexico's Cold War: Cuba, the United States, and the Legacy of the Mexican Revolution (Cambridge Studies in US Foreign Relations)

Mexico's Cold War examines the history of the Cold War in Mexico and Mexico in the Cold War. Renata Keller draws on declassified Mexican and US intelligence sources and Cuban diplomatic records to challenge earlier interpretations that depicted Mexico as a peaceful haven and a weak neighbor forced to submit to US pressure. Mexico did in fact suffer from the political and social turbulence that characterized the Cold War era in general, and by maintaining relations with Cuba it played a unique, and heretofore overlooked, role in the hemispheric Cold War. The Cuban Revolution was an especially destabilizing force in Mexico because Fidel Castro's dedication to many of the same nationalist and populist causes that the Mexican revolutionaries had originally pursued in the early twentieth century called attention to the fact that the government had abandoned those promises. A dynamic combination of domestic and international pressures thus initiated Mexico's Cold War and shaped its distinct evolution and outcomes. The first book to use recently declassified Mexican intelligence and Cuban diplomatic records to examine Mexico's Cold War Weaves together local, national, and international history Provides new insight into not only Mexican domestic and international politics, but also Cuban and US foreign policy Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Series information......Page 5 Title page......Page 7 Copyright information......Page 8 Dedication......Page 9 Table of contents......Page 11 List of figures......Page 12 List of tables......Page 13 Acknowledgments......Page 15 List of abbreviations......Page 19 Introduction......Page 23 The Legacy of the Mexican Revolution......Page 35 Revolutionary Institutions......Page 39 U.S.-Mexican Intelligence Cooperation......Page 47 Containing Domestic Opposition......Page 50 The Mexican Communist Movement......Page 56 The Railroad Movement......Page 61 Mexico as Haven......Page 64 Conclusion......Page 70 2 Responding to the Cuban Revolution......Page 72 Enthusiasm for the Cuban Revolution......Page 73 López Mateos Embraces the Cuban Revolution......Page 82 The Cubans Make Use of Mexico......Page 95 Conclusion......Page 107 Lázaro Cárdenas and the Latin American Peace Conference......Page 109 Mexico and the Bay of Pigs Invasion......Page 120 New Leftist Organizations: The National Liberation Movement, the Independent Campesino Center.........Page 127 Conservative Backlash......Page 141 Conclusion......Page 149 U.S. Pressure......Page 150 Mexico and the Cuban Missile Crisis......Page 159 Oswald in Mexico......Page 163 Securing the Elections......Page 169 Mexico Stands Alone with Cuba......Page 178 Conclusion......Page 189 Student Unrest......Page 190 The Red Menace......Page 196 The Tricontinental Conference......Page 204 Spying on Castro......Page 212 Conclusion......Page 217 6 From Cold War to Dirty War......Page 218 The First Battle......Page 219 The 1968 Student Movement......Page 224 The Tlatelolco Massacre......Page 232 Rural Insurgencies in Guerrero......Page 240 Urban Guerrillas......Page 243 Conclusion......Page 252 Conclusion......Page 254 Archival Sources......Page 261 Periodicals......Page 262 Printed Primary Sources......Page 263 Secondary Sources......Page 266 Index......Page 283 Cover 1 Half-title 3 Series information 5 Title page 7 Copyright information 8 Dedication 9 Table of contents 11 List of figures 12 List of tables 13 Acknowledgments 15 List of abbreviations 19 Introduction 23 1 The Institutionalized Revolution 35 The Legacy of the Mexican Revolution 35 Revolutionary Institutions 39 U.S.-Mexican Intelligence Cooperation 47 Containing Domestic Opposition 50 The Mexican Communist Movement 56 The Railroad Movement 61 Mexico as Haven 64 Conclusion 70 2 Responding to the Cuban Revolution 72 Enthusiasm for the Cuban Revolution 73 López Mateos Embraces the Cuban Revolution 82 The Cubans Make Use of Mexico 95 Conclusion 107 3 Mexico’s Cold War Heats Up 109 Lázaro Cárdenas and the Latin American Peace Conference 109 Mexico and the Bay of Pigs Invasion 120 New Leftist Organizations: The National Liberation Movement, the Independent Campesino Center... 127 Conservative Backlash 141 Conclusion 149 4 Negotiating Relations with Cuba and the United States 150 U.S. Pressure 150 Mexico and the Cuban Missile Crisis 159 Oswald in Mexico 163 Securing the Elections 169 Mexico Stands Alone with Cuba 178 Conclusion 189 5 Insurgent Mexico 190 Student Unrest 190 The Red Menace 196 The Tricontinental Conference 204 Spying on Castro 212 Conclusion 217 6 From Cold War to Dirty War 218 The First Battle 219 The 1968 Student Movement 224 The Tlatelolco Massacre 232 Rural Insurgencies in Guerrero 240 Urban Guerrillas 243 Conclusion 252 Conclusion 254 Bibliography 261 Archival Sources 261 Periodicals 262 Printed Primary Sources 263 Secondary Sources 266 Index 283 "This book is a history of the Cold War in Mexico and Mexico in the Cold War. Renata Keller draws on declassified Mexican and US intelligence sources and Cuban diplomatic records to challenge earlier interpretations that depicted Mexico as a peaceful haven and a weak neighbor forced to submit to US pressure. Mexico did in fact suffer from the political and social turbulence that characterized the Cold War era in general, and by maintaining relations with Cuba it played a unique, and heretofore overlooked, role in the hemispheric Cold War. The Cuban Revolution was an especially destabilizing force in Mexico because Fidel Castro's dedication to many of the same nationalist and populist causes that the Mexican revolutionaries had originally pursued in the early twentieth century called attention to the fact that the government had abandoned those promises. A dynamic combination of domestic and international pressures thus initiated Mexico's Cold War and shaped its distinct evolution and outcomes"--Provided by publisher Examines The History Of The Cold War In Mexico And Mexico In The Cold War. Renata Keller Draws On Declassified Mexican And Us Intelligence Sources And Cuban Diplomatic Records To Challenge Earlier Interpretations That Depicted Mexico As A Peaceful Haven And A Weak Neighbor Forced To Submit To Us Pressure. Mexico Did In Fact Suffer From Political And Social Turbulence That Characterized The Cold War Era In General, And By Maintaining Relations With Cuba It Played A Unique, And Heretofore Overlooked, Role In The Hemispheric Cold War. --back Cover. The Institutionalized Revolution -- Responding To The Cuban Revolution -- Mexico's Cold War Heats Up -- Negotiating Relations With Cuba And The United States -- Insurgent Mexico -- From Cold War To Dirty War -- Conclusion. Renata Keller. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. This book is a history of the Cold War in Mexico, and Mexico in the Cold War. It uses declassified Mexican and US intelligence sources and Cuban diplomatic records to challenge earlier interpretations that depicted Mexico as a peaceful haven and a weak neighbor forced to submit to US pressure.