Those familiar with Ethan Ellis’ intensive account of American foreign relations under Frank B. Kellogg may wonder if he has now expanded that study to include Kellogg’s predecessor and successor. As Ellis quickly makes clear, however, his intentions are more modest than before. Rather than sifting through State Department documents and over a score of private collections, he has contented himself with secondary sources and private writings of the three secretaries concerned. There are no footnotes; the approach is general ; and the conclusions are fairly orthodox.
Latin American affairs are covered in two chapters, one devoted to Mexico and Nicaragua and the other to problems of intervention, boundary controversies, and other matters. Much of the first chapter is a condensation of material in the author’s earlier book. Indeed, since most Latin American crises of the Republican period occurred during Coolidge’s administration, students of inter-American relations should consult Ellis’ study of Kellogg, supplemented by other more detailed works than this. The book will make an excellent collateral reading assignment in an undergraduate survey course on American diplomacy.
