Posted on 03/24/2008 6:50:58 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
For more than six hours workers and students poured from five avenues into the great Zocalo Square here. They marched thirty abreast at times past the massive cathedral and in from of the red and white Presidential Palace, where the soldier-President gave them military salutes from a gilded balcony.
Except for school children in reds, yellows and pinks, some of whom saluted with the Communist raised fist, it was largely an overalled and denim-clad mass that streamed through the central streets and raised myriad Mexican flags before President Cardenas.
On the whole, the individual paraders appeared unexcited and even spiritless. In the mass they represented Mexico’s proletarian power and in that respect were impressive. Airplanes added to the demonstration by flying over the paraders and stunting over the palace.
Few well-dressed persons were to be seen and there were few spectators. Shops had their iron fronts down.
Nationalism was the dominant note. The marchers bore huge banners proclaiming: “Expropriation of Foreigners’ Light and Street-Car Companies Next,” “Cardenas Against Capital,” “Down With Insolent Imperialism” and “We Demand Respect From Foreigners.”
One group marched chanting: “One, two, three, four, down with the Gringos.” It was the first time that the derogatory Mexican word for Americans had been used publicly for many years. The group demonstrated violently against “the capitalist press” in front of local newspaper offices, and halted and damaged automobiles.
In a sense, the demonstration was a national one in favor of “manana” [tomorrow], but not with the traditional Mexican meaning of vacillation. This was a big burst of enthusiasm before a tightening-up of belts. President Cardenas has warned the nation that it must meet hardships and suffer through in favor of a better and “freer” tomorrow.
“Hidalgo Freed Us Politically, Cardenas Economically,” proclaimed one poster.
In a fighting speech President Cardenas made clear to the demonstrators that he had no intention of abrogating the expropriation decree after diplomatic gestures. He asserted Mexico did not face armed intervention and he reiterated promises that Mexico would pay in the near future for the companies expropriated.
“The independence of Mexico – what is there to fear in that?” the President asked. “That there is danger in it, that the country must make sacrifices there is no doubt. But before a danger that certainly is not one of armed intervention the people are offering not only an economic contribution, but their lives if necessary.
“Some elements have believed that something graver than the withdrawing of bank deposits and the changing of bills for silver could occur. As if the danger to our fatherland lay in a diminishing of private capital! Fortunately, alarmists are becoming more serene and speculators are seeing the uselessness of their disloyal and anti-patriotic conduct.
“We are not going to refuse to pay for what is expropriated. We are acting on a high legal and moral plane in order to make our country great and respected. We must recognize our promises and obligations and answer with lofty acts the work that the press of various countries is doing against Mexico.
“We must organize in order to start immediately the indemnification for what is expropriated. It would not be just that we leave this debt to future generations.
“In a case as transcendental as this, in which the public once again has shown its desire for economic independence, we must let the people themselves organize, and we will tell them today or tomorrow what their contribution will be for the liberation of our petroleum wealth.
“I may insist that the whole nation act in a decorous manner in order to save the honor of our nationality. The Mexican people must have confidence in the future. The revolution constituted in the government will save the honor of Mexico.
“Finally, it is opportune to declare in these solemn moments, in order that the whole world may know, that the Mexicans will honor their debt abroad.”
It is learned on reliable authority that President Cardenas discussed yesterday with Josephus Daniels, the United States Ambassador, the possibility of paying the oil companies for their expropriated properties in government-produced oil. Executives of the expropriated companies insist that this is unacceptable, because there could be no guarantees that such shipments would be continued.
The head of one former company said the government was at present making an appraisal of the properties solely with government agents. He held Mexico financially unable to pay cash for the properties within ten years on an impartial valuation, as provided by law.
JUAREZ, Mexico, March 23 (AP). – American tourists were hissed today as 6,000 parading Juarez workers celebrated the expropriation of foreign oil interests by President Lazaro Cardenas.
Mexican troops armed with rifles and bayonets were assisted by Juarez police in maintaining order. Red and white banners denouncing “American imperialism” were carried by leaders of labor union chapters.
The American tourists were hissed by women marchers, who shouted: “Down with the Americans!” Officials said the demonstration was the largest ever held in Juarez.
LONDON, March 23 (AP). – The British Government announced today that it had made representations to Mexico against President Lazaro Cardenas’s expropriation of properties of British oil companies.
R. A. Butler, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, told the House of Commons that the government “have drawn the attention of the Mexican Government to their profound anxiety” concerning the expropriation.
He said Britain had informed Mexico that she “reserved full rights in the matter” and was now “examining the situation resulting from the [expropriation] decree.”
One group marched chanting: “One, two, three, four, down with the Gringos.”
It works better in Spanish.
Demonstration for “Manana”. It’s been a mess ever since. You’d think the grandkids of these idiots would want to nationalize...throw out the IMPERIALIST resort chains. /sarcasm
Thanks for posting. Fascinating.
And our blind leadership continues with the fiction that Mexico is one of our best friends. When will they learn? Mexico has NEVER been America’s friend. Mexicans HATE America and Americans, and have hated us for almost 200 years, and their invasion of America continues almost interrupted. They rape and kill Americans with wild abandon, and our leaders do nothing. There are some Americans who are close to the breaking point with these vile pukes, and if our government doesn’t start to save our republic from this invasion, there are those among us who will.
I haven't been to Mexico since my ex and I, visited Tijuana some 12 years ago, and I wouldn't go back on a bet and only at gunpoint.
Why tourist keep flocking to Mexico is beyond me.
This is something out of the WWII era that I didn’t know.
I’ve also heard rumors that during Vietnam we almost got into a shooting war with Mexico because they almost flipped full on communist.
The difference between Venezuala and Mexico is that the citizens of Venezuala are mostly pro-US. That can not be said of Mexicos citizens in this century or the last one. The jealousy is thick and the media there is so insanely biased that the uneducated population sees nothing about America except the Minutemen, INS arrests, news of laws passed against illegals and, of course, every crime committed against a Mexican north of the border (even if it was committed by another Mexican, which won’t be mentioned).
If you can speak Spanish, you can watch Univision here in the in U.S. and its literally stunning how different the coverage is of everyday events. Even the foreclosure market is covered as a crime wave targetting mexicans. Every person they interview talks about how hispanics were targets of predatory lenders (they forget to mention that the ‘lenders’ were actually hispanics as well since they were the only ones who could speak Spanish to their illegal clients) and how hispanics were being ignored by the government and were not being given the bailout checks.
My greatgrandfather, a collier from Wales and a British citizen, was among the miners Pancho Villa tried to murder by blowing up a mine while they were in inside.
Villa was nothing more than a common criminal.
He was just a criminal. That was evident when he went into the New Mexico town of Columbus and murdered 11 citizens. Not to mention the 19 Americans that were killed by his men in the state of Chihuahua.
ping
When they ran out of oil, the war was over.
Troops which had clanked into battle in chariots of steel,
walked home again behind horse-drawn wagons.
The US in those days had plenty of oil, and it made all the difference.
By the way, Mexico and Brazil both declared war on Germany. I never read where they actually contributed anything useful to the war effort. But at least they didn't oppose us.
In June and August 1942, respectively. Brazil was "under heavy pressure from the United States" to do so, according to this source:
http://www.worldwar-2.net/
The site has several good time lines. The operator is British so the coverage of events is slightly stronger for all-British operations, but mostly you wouldn't notice unless you were looking for it.
Found it. March 24, 1938.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.