In April 1914 three minor incidents occurred in Mexico: the arrest of several American sailors, the detention of a mail courier, and the delay of an official Department of State dispatch. Less than two weeks later, United States military forces landed at Veracruz and remained to occupy it for more than six months. What were the causes underlying this action, and what was the United States trying to achieve? Robert Quirk examines the motives which led Woodrow Wilson to this decision, the reasons for its failure, and its consequences for the United States’ relations with Latin America.