Introduction
Enrique Dupuy de Lôme, the Spanish ambassador to the United States, wrote a seemingly innocent letter in December 1897, but it had unintended consequences that seriously harmed the delicate relations between the U.S. and Spain. Addressed to a friend (Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Canelejas) in Cuba, the letter contained harsh criticisms of President William McKinley and the American political system. However, its intended private circulation was shattered when Cuban revolutionaries intercepted it and leaked it to the American press.
Published on February 9, 1898, in William Randolph Hearst's New York Journal, the letter's inflammatory content sparked public outrage across the United States. De Lôme's depiction of McKinley as "weak" and his disparaging remarks about American democracy fueled pre-existing tensions around the ongoing Cuban War of Independence. This incident, known as the De Lôme Letter Scandal, played a crucial role in shaping public opinion and ultimately pushing the two nations to the brink of war.
While it was not the sole cause of the Spanish-American War, the De Lôme Letter Scandal acted as a catalyst. It served as a rallying cry for those advocating for US intervention in Cuba. The scandal solidified public opinion and provided a convenient justification for conflict.
