José Martí was the Uruguay representative at the International Monetary Conference that took place under the auspices of the US government from 7 January to 8 April 1891 in Washington. The overriding objective of this conference was to set up a Union of Latin American Nations under US control and to guarantee the superiority of the US economy and trade, and thus, US’s political supremacy.
The Latin American delegates at the International Monetary Conference chose Marti to draft and present the Final Report of 30 March 1891. He read it in English and Spanish, representing the Commission appointed to study the propositions of the Union.
Marti’s document rejected the US proposal to use a currency under US control. With a high level of analysis, he defers his final study to an international monetary conference to “take place in London or Paris” to study, “the relationship of silver and gold and the universal assimilation and international legal circulation of different currencies”. In this way, the US intentions to establish financial control in the region as an important step to recognize the neo-colonial model in Our America, were thwarted in the diplomatic field.
Martí’s success
The battle Marti waged within the International Monetary Conference itself and through his journalistic works and policies, laid bare the imperialist aspirations hidden under a cloak of alleged economic integration of the Americas confronted by a powerful Europe. Thus the revelation that it was only possible through the diplomatic and political geniality of the Apostle and his own unblemished life in defense of the Spanish people that he set the beginnings of the birth of an anti imperialist conscience in the region.
José Martí also thwarted the US government intention of holding a meeting with the rest of the most powerful nations seeking support for the implementation of the unique silver currency for Our America, but without the participation of the other countries.
Martí’s postulates are of enormous validity now-a-days, when all the countries in the region need to be more and more united.
