ABSTRACT
The presidency of Abadia Mendez witnessed the gradual shift of power from the ruling Conservative Party, dominant in Colombia since the end of the nineteenth century, to the revitalized opposition Liberal Party. Conservative leaders were not unaware of their crumbling position, and to gain a new lease on life, the faction around Montalvo decided to start a nationalistic campaign over petroleum. Cracking the whip had ended the danger for the US oil companies, but there were still several loose ends in need of tying up. First of all, the US ambassador, Samuel Piles, a kindly and proper diplomat who had consistently argued against pressuring the Colombian government, was replaced by Jefferson Caffery, a politician who understood more than anyone else the fine art of defusing a nationalistic campaign without provoking a confrontation.
