2-620-571 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

US President, Calvin Coolidge's arrival in Havana for Pan American Conference, 15 Jan 1928. The influence of the United States was felt throughout Latin America in the 1920s, with American investments deeply tying the economies of many South and Central American countries to the United States. America also controlled the Panama Canal, and was heavily involved in shaping internal Cuban affairs. The purpose of President Coolidge's visit to Havana on the battleship USS Texas in January 1928 was to ease the feelings of bitterness that existed between America and the Latin-American nations. President Coolidge opened the Pan-American Conference on 16 January 1928 with a keynote speech that urged the nations of the Western Hemisphere to embrace peace and value the principles of freedom and democracy. He also emphasised the equality that existed between the independent republics of the Americas. These remarks supported the Coolidge Administration’s efforts to ensure peace and harmony among the nations with the Kellogg-Briand Pact, in which the signatories promised to avoid war as a means of resolving their disputes.