" ... I will defend principles and face the consequences... ": the presidential reports of Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, domestic enemies and repression, 1964-1970 Azucena Citlalli Jaso Galván

Abstract

Starting from the notion that 1964 saw the transition of Mexico from that of an authoritarian state to one of counterinsurgency, we propose in this paper the analysis of presidential reports issued annually on September 1st to the Congress of the Union, composed of deputies and senators, by the presidency of Gustavo Díaz Ordaz (1964-1970). From these reports, we attempt to highlight items that demonstrate the assimilation of the Security Doctrine of the United States, focusing on domestic policy and highlighting three aspects: first, "revolutionary nationalism," which according to our hypothesis, enabled the adoption of the American ideology which was not explicit, generating repressive dynamics (qualitative, not quantitative) similar to those experienced in Latin American dictatorships. Nevertheless, Mexico has been historically regarded as an exemplary civil democracy, disconnected from the 'dirty' wars that resulted from both the radicalization of leftist organizations and the escalation of state violence, and of course, from the coups that shook the continent in the second half of twentieth century; second, the characteristics of the "domestic enemy"; and finally, the ways in which the expression and use of repression to contain the Mexican social and armed movement was legitimized.