President Buchanan appointed experienced diplomat Robert Milligan McLane of Maryland as minister plenipotentiary to Mexico. Buchanan charged him with ascertaining if the government of Benito Juarez, then embroiled in the War of Reform, was worthy of recognition. His instructions stipulated that a recognizable government did not have to occupy the capital but it did require the allegiance of most of the population. On April 7, 1859, McLane presented his credentials to Juarez at Vera Cruz thereby conferring United States recognition, much to the chagrin of the conservative opponents of the Liberals under Miramon. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
John Bassett Moore, Francis Wharton, A Digest of International Law: As Embodied in Diplomatic Discussions, Treaties and Other International Agreements .... Volume I (Washington DC: Government Printing Office, 1906), 147.
Record Data
Date Certainty
Exact
Type
US/the World
