Title:
Letter concerning El Chamizal treaty between the United States and Mexico
Description:
Folder a). Note on the White House letterhead, signed by former President Lyndon B. Johnson: Chamizal Commemorative Silver Medal. The United States Mint at Philadelphia struck 380 silver medals to commemorate the meeting between the Presidents of the United States of America and the United Mexican States, at El Paso, Texas, on September 25, 1964. At this meeting, we celebrated the Chamizal Convention and dedicated a boundary marker located on the new boundary between the United States and Mexico. The Chamizal Convention is the result of an effort, of many people, over many years, to build a strong, warm, and everlasting friendship between the United States and Mexico. This silver medal honors those who participated in that effort. The crossed flags of the United States and Mexico on the face of the medal symbolize the unity of the people of our two free and independent countries in the cause of liberty and peace. b). Convention between U.S.A.. and United Mexican States for the solution of the problem of Chamizal.
Description:
Historical Note: The Chamizal dispute between Mexico and the United States was a boundary conflict over about 600 acres at El Paso, Texas, between the bed of the Rio Grande as surveyed in 1852 and the present channel of the river. The dispute was based on the interpretation of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848 and the Treaty of 1884. The river continually shifted south between 1852 and 1868, with the most radical shift in the river occurring after a flood in 1864. By 1873 the river had moved approximately 600 acres, cutting off land that was in effect made United States territory. The dispute was formally settled on January 14, 1963, when the United States and Mexico ratified a treaty that generally followed the 1911 arbitration recommendations. The agreement awarded to Mexico 366 acres of the Chamizal area and seventy-one acres east of the adjacent Cordova Island. The United States also received 193 acres of Cordova Island from Mexico, and the two nations agreed to share equally in the cost of rechanneling the river. In 1964 President Adolfo Lopez Mateos and President Lyndon B. Johnson met on the border to end the dispute officially. In October 1967, Johnson met with Mexican president Gustavo Diaz Ordaz on the border and formally proclaimed the settlement.
Identifier:
ATF0435
Item identifier:
ATF0435
Collection:
Artifacts collection
Date of creation:
1964
Source:
Texas State Library and Archives Commission, 2005/012
Geographic coverage:
El Chamizal (Mexico and Tex.)
Subject:
Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines), 1908-1973
Subject:
Treaties
Type:
Image
Type:
Other Documents
Type:
Letter
Medium:
Paper (fiber product)
Citation information:
ATF0435, Artifacts collection. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Copyright information:
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Size or duration:
not yet measured
Language:
English