FREE ESSAY ON U.S INTERVENTION IN MEXICO

U.S INTERVENTION IN MEXICO

Moralistic diplomacy, disapproved on several aspects of the Mexican system, leading to U.S
to intervention in Mexico. The U.S 
Should not have intervened, for the sake of both nations. America should have kept hands
off. Throughout the Wilsonian administration, distasteful American diplomatic proceedings
with Mexico led to unavoidable predicaments with the Mexican nation.
Wilson insisted that American diplomacy should be guided by moral percepts, free from any
taint of selfish aggrandizement. The Purpose of the United States is solely and singly to
secure peace and order in Central America by seeing that the process of self-government
there, is not interrupted or set-aside. It is the purpose of the United States,
therefore, to discredit and defeat such usurpations whenever they occur. Wilson believed
that usurpations like that of General Huerta, menaced the peace and development of
ordered self-government.
Mexican president, Francisco I. Madero, difficulties would have been insurmountable. Not
even an inspiring leader and strong executive could have solved Mexico's problems as the
multitudes had expected. Madero turned out to be neither leader nor an executive. Madero
had never been the sort of revolutionary that the Mexican nation had longed for. Madero
possessed little magnetic appeal in public. Madero had a weak faltering voice, he had no
power
Over a crowd. The amount of Madero's friends appeared to decline, and the number of his
enemies appeared to incline, Madero still appeared to trust everyone around him. His
brother, Gustavo Madero was not only his loyal brother but also his adviser and
troubleshooter. Through his one good eye, he could detect the perils in Madero's
situation. He tried repeatedly to alert his brother to the impending dangers, but Madero
paid no attention. Finally, militarism showed again its ugly face in Mexican politics. On
an environment of bitter distrust, Madero committed his biggest mistake yet. In spite of
warnings from his own brother Gustavo, the president named Victoriano Huerta as Chief of
the Armed Forces. Huerta immediately saw the opportunity of a lifetime. He started
secretly plotting with Felix Diaz and Henry Lane Wilson on how to bring down Madero's
government. A conspiracy within the army took place with full knowledge and support of
the American ambassador. Madero was placed under arrest. A pact was made in the offices
of the American Embassy, stating that Victoriano Huerta would serve as provisional
president and that Felix Diaz would then be supported as candidate for the presidency. In
the same meeting, the fate of Madero was sealed with a total indifference from the
American Ambassador. On February 21, 1913, Madero and Pino Suarez were forced to resign
and then they were assassinated. 
Huerta set up a military dictatorship. Wilson called this "a government of butchers."
Wilson, on one hand was determined not to recognize Huerta as the provisional president
of Mexico; on the
Other, his options for taking action was limited. He refused to recognize Huerta as
legitimate leader of the Mexican people. Many Mexicans agreed with Wilson. A new revolt
broke out, led by Venustiano Carranza. Wilson was urged by the United States companies,
whose Mexican properties were in danger. He asked Huerta to order free elections, and
promise not to be a candidate himself. If he agreed, the United States would try to
persuade the Caranza forces to stop fighting. Wilson meant well, but even supporters of
Caranza resented Wilson's interference. Mexico's problems were none of his business,
insisted both sides. If we agreed to United States interference, said an official of the
Huerta government, "all the future elections for president would be submitted to the veto
of any president of the United States." On March 11, after a week in office, president
Wilson issued his "Declaration of Policy" in Latin America. That statement set the tone
for Wilson's vendetta against Huerta, one that would persist throughout Huerta's stance
in office. Huerta's administration had many grave weaknesses. The most glaring was the
miserable quality of men whom Huerta had appointed to positions of responsibility. 
Wilson decided to send William Bryne Hale, to make a survey. Hale departed from Mexico
City in May and with astonishing rapidity concluded that the Huerta regime was doomed. He
predicted that Huerta's continuance in power could eventually call for U.S intervention
in Mexico. Wilson took hale's conclusions and made a "public declaration of policy,"
which once more called on Huerta to step aside as a presidential candidate in the October
elections. Wilson was satisfied with hale's reports, nevertheless he decided to send a
second emissary, John Lind, a former governor of Minnesota. Lind was sent as a
representative, though without status of an ambassador. Huerta rebuffed Lind's request
for an appointment and ordered him out of Mexico City. Woodrow reacted mildly to Huerta's
rejection, aware that he had solved the matter ineptly. So on August 27, Wilson announced
the policy of "Watchful Waiting." The purpose of "Watchful Waiting" was to set neutrality
between Huerta and the rebels in the hinterlands of Mexico, and the establishment of an
arms embargo against both sides, government and revolutionary. The concept was well
received; the people of Mexico had viewed with alarm the masses of weaponry sold across
the Rio Grande by American merchants. "Watchful Waiting" brought a period of calm
relations. Huerta had not
Seriously been threatened by the actions of the U.S, these actions brought annoyance to
the face of Huerta. Huerta's regime was in danger not from the outside of Mexico, but
from the inside, where the successes scored by the warlords of the north were rapidly
eroding the territory under his control. 
Wilson felt constrained to respond to Huerta's second coup, moderately. Wilson limited
his protests to a diplomatic note accusing Huerta of bad faith, in the meantime
withholding U.S recognition of the upcoming election in advance. The note was to be sent
to the European powers, to nations that had first recognized Huerta. Asking them to
withhold his recognition of election results, regardless the outcome. November the 7, was
the day Wilson sent his "Circular Note" to the European powers. In late February, the
British, drew recognition of Huerta regime. The disagreement between Britain and the
United States over Mexican policy, that had once existed, was now a thing of the past.
Wilson settled down to draw a long-term plan to rid Mexico of Huerta, a task he
considered in the purview of the United States. If war was required to topple Huerta,
Wilson was willing to declare war in order to do bring down Huerta. 
Up to the spring of 1914, American lives and American commercial interests did not seem
to be threatened by any of the 
Factions fighting in Mexico. All of the revolutionaries, even Villa, had been careful to
protect the citizens and property of their neighbor, south of the border. The situation
came to a halt at Tampico, a Mexican Gulf port in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas.
Tampico was the scenario where the interests of the Huertistas, the revolutionaries, and
the Americans clashed for the first time. As general Pablo Gonzalez moved his
Constitutionalist forces toward Tampico, the commander of the Federal garrison, General
Zaragoza realized that the town of Tampico was indefensible, any fighting in or around
Tampico would place foreign lives and property at great risk. On the 9th of April, a
paymaster of the U.S.S. Dolphin landed at the Iturbide Bridge, landing at Tampico with a
whaleboat and boat's crew. To take off certain supplies needed by his ship, and while
engaged in loading, an officer and squad of men of the army of General Huerta arrested
the boat. Neither the paymaster nor anyone of the boat's crew was armed. Two of the men
were in the boat when the arrest took place and were obliged to leave it and submit to be
taken into custody, not withstanding the fact that the boat carried the flag of the
United States. The officer who made the arrest was proceeding up one of the streets of
the town with his prisoners when met by an 
Officer of higher authority, who ordered him to return to the landing and await orders;
and within an hour and a half from the time of the
Arrest, orders were received from the commander of the Huertista forces at Tampico for
the release of the paymaster and his men. The release was followed by apologies from the
commander and later by an expression of regret by General Huerta himself. General Huerta
told the U.S that he had given orders and had issued that no one should be allowed to
land at the Iturbide Bridge; and that U.S sailors had no right to land there. U.S naval
commanders at the port had not been notified of any such prohibition; and. even if they
had been, the only justifiable course open to the local authorities would have been to
request the paymaster and his crew to withdraw and to lodge a protest with the commanding
officer of the flee. Admiral Mayo regarded the arrest as so serious an affront that he
was not satisfied with the apologies offered, but demanded that the flag of the United
States be saluted with special ceremony by the military commander of the port. A salute
that was never given. Wilson was so angry that he used the incident to try to overthrow
Huerta.
A few days after the incident at Tampico, Wilson sent a naval force to occupy the city of
Veracruz. Wilson did not intend to start a war. He expected his show of force to cause
the downfall of Huerta. But 19 United States soldiers and 126 Mexicans were killed before
Veracruz was captured. Again, Carranza joined with his enemy in speaking out against the
interference of the United States in Mexican affairs. 
Fortunately the U.S and Mexican diplomats meet at Niagra Falls, Canada. Where ambassadors
of the ABC Powers: Argentina, Brazil, and Chile offered to meditate the dispute, and to
find a peace settlement. Wilson eagerly accepted the offer, and the crisis ended. By
summer Carranza had forced Huerta from power, and the United States had withdrawn their
naval forces from Veracruz.
Yet Wilson's troubles in Mexico were far from over. No sooner had Carranza defeated
Huerta than one of his own generals, Francisco Villa, rebelled against him. Wilson
supported Villa; he had resented Carranza's independence and refusal to follow United
States advice. Supporting Villa was probably the president's worst mistake. At last, in
October 1915, Wilson realized that the best policy for the United States was to keep
hands off Mexico and let the people of the nation decide for themselves how they were to
be governed. He then officially recognized the Carranza government.
Wilson's acceptance of Carranza's government angered Pancho Villa so much, that Villa
raided a train on January 11,of 1916. He stopped a train in Santa Isabel, Chihuahua, that
was running from Chihuahua City to the Cusi mines. Villas men executed sixteen of the
seventeen Americans aboard; in cold blood. Villa's firm belief that President Wilson had
concluded an agreement with Carranza, that would virtually convert Mexico into a U.S.
protectorate, led Villa to commit another raid. On March 9, 1916, a Mexican raiding force
of 485 men attacked the town of Columbus, in New Mexico. The leader of the attack was
Mexican revolutionary general Francisco Pancho Villa. The assault on the small town of
close to 400 was a complete surprise. The 13th U.S. Cavalry, headquartered at Columbus,
provided a false sense of security for the citizens of the straggling U.S. town.
Americans were never more vulnerable than at Columbus, the raiders encountered resistance
almost immediately from American military personnel who retaliated as promptly as
possible. Following the bloodshed, the casualties were counted. The raid had cost
Americans eighteen lives. Ninety Villistas were killed. 
Within one week of the Columbus attack, a punitive expedition of 4800, quickly increased
to 10,000 men, commanded by General John Pershing, invaded the Mexican state of
Chihuahua. They were orders from President Wilson, to capture Pancho Villa. The
expedition failed in its attempt to subdue Villa, and on February 5, 1917, the punitive
expedition withdrew into the U.S. The failure of the Pershing expedition did much to
repair the damage. Ultimately, it convinced the American public and the U.S. military
that future intervention in Mexico would be more costly and more difficult than had been
previously assumed. Villa became a symbol of national resistance in Chihuahua and
enhanced his standing among his own countrymen. After expedition, Wilson establishes full
diplomatic relations with Carranza and his government, due to U.S involvement in World
War one.
It is apparent that Wilson lacked experience, and knowledge, when it came to foreign
affairs. The United States should not have intervened, The U.S was not aware of the
consequences that could be brought to the American nation. The U.S should have kept hands
off; the occurrence of events in Mexico did not pertain to the United States. Wilson's
fundamental principle was not to initiate a war, and intervention was war.