The Estrada plot : how the FBI captured a secret army and stopped the invasion of Mexico

By 1926 the Mexican government of Plutarco Elías Calles had sparked widespread discontent with its radical social policies. Plots to overthrow the administration ran rampant. One of the strangest conspiracies arose within a clique of exiled Mexican military officers . . . in Hollywood. Bill Mills takes readers inside the forgotten story of General Enrique Estrada and his Southern California army. Secretly gathering recruits from city barrios and Imperial Valley farms, Estrada and his staff of ex-generals not only built an invasion force but stockpiled an arsenal of small arms to supply it. Attempts to acquire armored vehicles and airplanes had moved forward when law enforcement got wind of the clandestine military activity. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, newly reorganized under J. Edgar Hoover, assigned a four-man team to unravel the plot. Racing against time, the agents pitted old-school legwork against Estrada’s determination and, as the day of the invasion arrived, confronted the general’s caravan fewer than ten miles from the Mexican border. Packed with intrigue, __The Estrada Plot__ is the unlikely true crime drama of how the early FBI foiled an invasion from within the United States. By 1926 the Mexican government of Plutarco Elias Calles had sparked widespread discontent with its radical social policies. Plots to overthrow the administration ran rampant. One of the strangest conspiracies arose within a clique of exiled Mexican military officers...in Hollywood. Bill Mills takes readers inside the forgotten story of General Enrique Estrada and his Southern California army. Secretly gathering recruits from city barrios and Imperial Valley farms, Estrada and his staff of ex-generals not only built an invasion force but stockpiled an arsenal of small arms to supply it. Attempts to acquire armored vehicles and airplanes had moved forward when law enforcement got wind of the clandestine military activity. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, newly reorganized under J. Edgar Hoover, assigned a four-man team to unravel the plot. Racing against time, the agents pitted old-school legwork against Estrada's determination and, as the day of the invasion arrived, confronted the general's caravan fewer than ten miles from the Mexican border. Packed with intrigue, The Estrada Plot is the unlikely true crime drama of how the early FBI foiled an invasion from within the United States. The Road To Exile -- Rumors Of War -- Merchants Of Death -- Chasing After Shadows -- Pursuit To The Border -- The Longest Trial On Record -- A Change Of Fortunes. Bill Mills. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Electronic Reproduction. Baltimore, Md Available Via World Wide Web. ""The Estrada Plot" is the story of Enrique Estrada, an exiled Mexican general who organizes a secret army in California to invade Mexico and seize power. The newly formed Federal Bureau of Investigation races to uncover the plot and capture Estrada's army in time"-- Provided by publisher Cover Title Page Copyright Page Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgments 1. The Road to Exile 2. Rumors of War 3. Merchants of Death 4. Chasing after Shadows 5. Pursuit to the Border 6. The Longest Trial on Record 7. A Change of Fortunes Notes Bibliography Index The newly formed FBI tracks down exiled Mexican general Enrique Estrada and his secret army to stop him from overthrowing the Mexican government.