The Secret War in El Paso: Mexican Revolutionary Intrigue, 1906-1920Winner of the 2010 Spur Award for Best Contemporary Nonfiction from Western Writers of America The Mexican Revolution could not have succeeded without the use of American territory as a secret base of operations, a source of munitions, money, and volunteers, a refuge for personnel, an arena for propaganda, and a market for revolutionary loot. El Paso, the largest and most important American city on the Mexican border during this time, was the scene of many clandestine operations as American businesses and the U.S. federal government sought to maintain their influences in Mexico and protect national interest while keeping an eye on key Revolutionary figures. In addition, the city served as refuge to a cast of characters that included revolutionists, adventurers, smugglers, gunrunners, counterfeiters, propagandists, secret agents, double agents, criminals, and confidence men. Using 80,000 pages of previously classified FBI documents on the Mexican Revolution and hundreds of Mexican secret agent reports from El Paso and Ciudad Juarez in the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Relations archive, Charles Harris and Louis Sadler examine the mechanics of rebellion in a town where factional loyalty was fragile and treachery was elevated to an art form. As a case study, this slice of El Paso's, and America's, history adds new dimensions to what is known about the Mexican Revolution. |
Contents
Orozcos Rebellion | |
Merchants of Death | |
Aftermath | |
Villa Columbus Spies | |
The War Crisis | |
Gunrunning | |
World War 1917 | |
World War 1918 | |
Exile Futility | |
Villas Eclipse | |
Plot and Counterplot | |
The Constitutionalists | |
Villa Ascendant | |
Huertas Defeat | |
Villa versus Carranza | |
Huertas Comeback Attempt Illustrations | |
The New Strongman | |
Conclusion | |
Abbreviations | |
Notes | |
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Common terms and phrases
Agent Jones Alderete American ammunition April AREM arms arrested Arriola August Barnes report Beckham report Bielaski Blanford report border Breniman report Bureau agent Bureau of Investigation carrancista Carranza cartridges chief Chihuahua Ciudad Juárez Cobb Colonel commander Constitutionalists December DHRM Díaz Diebold Dreben EPMT expedition February February 24 federal felicista Flores Magón Fort Bliss Francisco FRC-FW García Garza George Holmes González Gresh Guaderrama Haymon Krupp Hipólito Holmdahl Hotel Huerta huertistas insurrecto jail January Jones report July June junta Krakauer Llorente maderista Madero magonistas Manuel March McClammy Mexican consul Mexican Revolution military Molina munitions November October Ojinaga orozquistas Pancho Villa Pascual Orozco Paso president rebels revolutionary Ross report Salazar San Antonio secretary Sedaño September Shelton-Payne smuggling soldiers Sommerfeld Stone Taft Texas Ranger Thompson report troops U.S. Army U.S. attorney U.S. Commissioner U.S. District Court U.S. marshal U.S. Senate United Vázquez Gómez vazquista villista Wren report