Scientists or Spies?: The American Museum of Natural History in World War I Latin America (The Latin American Studies Book Series)

In Scientists or Spies, Roberta Delson explores the intersection of three historical tropes: World War I, Science, and Pan Americanism, from the period leading up to and through the end of the War (1910-1919).During this time the boundary between science and politics rapidly dissolved in the United States and world-wide.Using this observation as a starting point, the book examines in depth the specific role played by the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in the elision of science with politics.It reveals how the Museum’s staff scientists gathered intelligence during wartime in the Latin American nations in which they had previously conducted natural history research. The book is divided into eleven chapters which trace the growing involvement of the AMNH and its scientists in Latin American politics.The first five chapters of the book highlight the role of AMNH President Henry Fairfield Osborn in focusing on the evolutionary history of mammals in Latin America from the 1890s on