(The is a repost from the Headlines & Heroes Blog. The author is Victoria Giron, an intern in the Serial & Government Publications Division from the University of Virginia. Victoria majors in Foreign Affairs and is fluent in Spanish. She spent her summer working with the Latin American newspaper portfolios.)
Many people who learn about World War II are taught about the participation of the United States and Great Britain in the Allied war effort. While most people may be aware that the greater Allied war effort involved the participation of many European countries, few people know that several Latin American countries were also formal allies in World War II.

“Saludo de ‘El Mundo Libre’ a la Pressa Americana [A Greeting From ‘El Mundo Libre’ to the American Press],” El Mundo Libre (San Salvador, El Salvador), March 30, 1941.

“Solidaridad Continental [Continental Solidarity],” La Voz de Chihuahua (Chihuahua, Mexico), April 13, 1941.
In La Voz de Chihuahua, a special “Continental Solidarity” issue was commissioned by Mexican President Manuel Avila Camacho in 1941. The special edition came in the wake of a speech given by Mexican foreign minister, Ezequiel Padilla, who addressed the need for hemispheric cooperation showing the gradual movement of the Mexican government towards a pro-U.S. position.

“Rutas Vitales Para Los Aliados [Vital Routes for the Allies],” Actualidad (Guatemala, Guatemala), October 18, 1941.
After Pearl Harbor, many Latin American nations were shocked and showed their solidarity by declaring war on Japan and the other Axis powers. On January 1, 1942, twenty-six nations signed the “Declaration of the United Nations.” The declaration was an agreement among signing nations to uphold the Atlantic Charter, to employ all their resources in the war against the Axis powers, and to promise that no nation would try to seek a separate peace with any Axis nation. Eight Latin American nations were among the original signatories: Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.

“Otros Paises de America Estan Entrando al Estado de Guerra [Other American Countries are Entering a State of War],” Diario Latino (San Salvador, El Salvador), December 9, 1941.
Mexico offered other means of support to the U.S. through programs such as the Bracero Program. The Bracero Program between the governments of Mexico and the U.S. allowed young Mexican men work in the U.S. as farm labor. As a result of the war and due to worries that a lack of farm labor would lead to food shortages, the Bracero Program was signed into law on August 4, 1942 and lasted until 1964. An article in the October 13, 1942, issue of El Porvenir writes about Senator McFarland of Arizona asking for more Braceros to be able to work to serve the needs of the state.

“En la Escuela de Aviacion [At the Aviation School],” Las Noticias (Los Mochis, Mexico), June 3, 1943.
Additional Resources:
Records of the Office of Inter-American Affairs, National Archives and Records Service, General Services Administration.
Remembering the “Aztec Eagles”, National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.
October 25, 2018 at 5:48 am
Beautiful good Iformetion very interesting
November 19, 2018 at 5:48 pm
Thank you for this insightful window into the relationship among the evolution of American policy, the birth of pan American cooperation, and our shared efforts to address the threat of the Axis Powers in WWII. I’d never heard of the Aztec Eagles. Awesome.
November 30, 2018 at 11:24 am
Great info! Thanks Victoria Giron for shining a light on this aspect of WWII history.