Like several other books in this series Bernstein’s volume fills a distressing gap in readings suitable for an undergraduate course in Latin American history whose instructor wishes to rise above individual nations and present controversial points of view about hemispheric problems. Bernstein begins with an excellent twenty-six-page survey of the problem: Why is it difficult to appraise the work of foreign capital in Latin America? The rest of the volume is a collection of excerpts from nineteenth and twentieth century writings grouped under two headings, ease studies and attitudes.
Both sides are represented—foreigners from H. M. Tomlinson to Dean Rusk, Latin Americans from Matías Romero to Rómulo Betancourt—and there is a sprinkling of scholarly essays, mostly British or American. About four-fifths of the material involves American capital wholly or in part; the rest deals with British capital. The annotated bibliography at the end is one of the best available.
