This volume begins with President Wilson's first Annual Message to Congress on December 2, 1913, and ends on May 5, 1914, the eve of his acceptance of the A.B.C. offer of mediation of the Veracruz incident.
The documents gathered here richly illustrate the way in which the decision-making process worked, in both domestic and foreign policies, during these five months. They reflect Wilson's concerns at this time about the early formulation of the administration's antitrust program, the violence that intensified in the Colorado Coal Strike, the appointment of the Federal Reserve Board, and the controversy over alleged racial segregation in several federal departments.
Wilson's campaign against the military dictatorship of Victoriano Huerta in Mexico and his support of the Constitutionalists provide the main theme of this volume. His determination to assist the revolutionary movement reaches its climax in his decision to occupy Veracruz as a means of cutting of Huerta's revenues. This action raised the threat of war with Mexico, and Wilson's ability to contain the operation and prevent general conflagration shows clearly through these documents.