Archives Unbound:
Latin American and Caribbean Studies

Archives Unbound: Latin American and Caribbean Studies

From Mafia activities in Cuba to the Mexican Revolution, and from political instability in Latin America to foreign relations in Caribbean states, this collection provides a broad variety of resources for the study of the varied, rich culture and history of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Caribbean History

Crisis in the Dominican Republic: Records of the U.S. State Department Central Files, February 1963-1966 - The Dominican Republic has experienced many setbacks on the road to democracy. Dominican political history has been defined by traditions of “personalism,” militarism, and social and economic elitism which has undermined its efforts to establish a liberal constitutional rule. This collection includes State Department, U.S. Embassy, and Dominican republic governmental dispatches, instructions, and miscellaneous correspondence dealing with topics such as political affairs and government; public order and safety; military affairs; social matters (including history and culture); economic conditions (including immigration and emigration); industry and agriculture; communications and transportation; and navigation. The material is in English, making the information contained in these files particularly accessible.

Federal Surveillance of the Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño - This collection highlights the FBI’s efforts to disrupt the activities of the largest of the Puerto Rican independence parties, Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño, and compromise their effectiveness. In addition, these documents provide an insightful documentary history and analysis of why independence was the second-largest political movement on the island, (after support for commonwealth status), and a real alternative. These documents provide invaluable additions to the recorded history of Puerto Rico.

Feminism in Cuba: Nineteenth through Twentieth Century Archival Documents - This collection, compiled from Cuban sources, spans the period from Cuban independence to the end of the Batista regime. The collection sheds light on Cuban feminism, women in politics, literature by Cuban women, and the legal status of Cuban women.

The Mafia in Florida and Cuba: FBI Surveillance of Meyer Lansky and Santo Trafficante, Jr. - This collection comprises materials on Santo Trafficante, Jr., Meyer Lansky, and Lucky Luciano, including FBI surveillance and informant reports and correspondence from a variety of offices including, Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville, New York City, New Orleans, Atlanta, New Haven, New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago; Justice Department memoranda, correspondence, and analyses; Newsclippings and articles; Domestic Intelligence Section reports; Transcriptions of wiretaps, typewriter tapes, and coded messages; Memoranda of conversations.

U.S. and Castro's Cuba, 1950-1970: The Paterson Collection - The declassified records that comprise this collection provides a detailed account of the diplomatic, economic, military, and cultural relationship between the United States and Cuba in the era of Fidel Castro (1926–2016). Included are extensive official records gathered from presidential libraries, government archives, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Department of State (DOS). The collection was originally built by historian Thomas G. Paterson (b. 1941) during his more than 25 years of research and writing on U.S.-Cuba relations in the Cold War period.