Chile: Records of the U.S. Department of State, 1930-1963
The records in this massive archive range from the era of the Great Depression to the height of the Cold War. The period of Radical Party dominance (1932-1952) saw the emergence of a strong middle-class party and its role as the key force in coalition governments. In this era the state steadily increased its participation in the Chilean economy. Documents include: negotiations with British nitrate interests (March 1934); U.S. state department concern of a possible “crisis in Chilean copper production” (October 1940); troops on alert following the refusal of telephone and electric company employees to obey orders to end a strike (January 1950); a student strike at the University of Concepción demanding adequate financing for the university (April 1950); and a U.S. embassy report noting “Chilean Roman Catholic Church Initiates Own Agrarian Reform Program” and “Moscow Conference Attracts Chileans” (July 1962).