Databases

The post-WWII history of Colombia was most notably marked by La Violencia (The Violence), a ten-year civil war spanning the years 1948 to 1958, between the Colombian Conservative Party and the Colombian Liberal Party. In July 1957, former Conservative President Laureano Gómez and former Liberal President Alberto Lleras issued the "Declaration of Sitges," in which they proposed a "National Front," whereby the Liberal and Conservative parties would govern jointly. National Front administrations attempted to institute far-reaching social and economic reforms in cooperation with the Alliance for Progress. The documents found in these files are predominantly instructions to – and despatches from – U.S. diplomatic and consular officials, often accompanied by enclosures, addressing the political affairs and concerns affecting Colombia.