Preserved in Lamont’s files, the memo is shocking, nothing less than a blueprint for bribing the entire Mexican government. It starts out with a nasty portrayal of the Mexican national character: “The Mexican, and particularly the traditional professional politician of Mexico, after four hundred years of training, is actuated by two dominant motives; one, the fear of force—physical force; the other is the incentive of personal gain. . . . An appeal to patriotism or to idealism is not understood.”
