“This is a Revolutionary Beginning”: Rodman Rockefeller, Miguel de la Madrid, and Bilateral Relations for US-Mexico Free Trade, 1981-85

This paper analyzes the US-Mexico Business Committee's discussions during 1981-1985 to understand the role of Rodman Rockefeller, Miguel de la Madrid, and the business community in shaping Mexico's decision to join the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1985. Following the election of Ronald Reagan, US foreign policy towards Latin America shifted to a bilateral negotiation strategy that required promoting mutual benefit and incentives to Latin American countries. Therefore, the US business community in Latin America needed to promote the benefits of trade deals for the countries involved. In Mexico, this strategy change meant that the US business community endorsed the free trade model as mutually beneficial for Mexican economic interests. President Miguel de la Madrid gave his support to the GATT free trade deal because of its perceived benefits for the Mexican economy and his national goals. Rodman Rockefeller, as chairman of the US-Mexico Business Committee in this period, advocated for free trade as mutually beneficial. Overall, the rhetoric of business actors convinced those involved that free trade was a logical action to improve both US and Mexican economic development. The support that Miguel de la Madrid gave to the business committee contributed to his decision for Mexico to join GATT. Thus, I argue that Rodman Rockefeller's influence on the business community and on Miguel de la Madrid was an important factor in forming how Mexican business and the Mexican president perceived the advantage of joining GATT.