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Leland H. Jenks Papers

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The Leland H. Jenks Papers document his research on the Cuban sugar industry, as well as his broader research into the economic and financial affairs of the country and its relationship with the United States. A portion of the research was used for his book Our Cuban Colony: A Study in Sugar, published in 1928 as part of a series on American imperialism. The papers include Jenks's notes from interviews and materials he collected regarding the Cuban sugar industry.Jenks's notes include interviews with bankers, businessmen, administrators and laborers at sugar production facilities, government officials, and professors in the United States and in Cuba. The notes from 1925 to 1926 focus on banking and finance in Cuba, especially with regards to the Banco Nacional, and also include discussions of financial relations and trade with the United States, and the Cuban sugar industry. The notes from a 1934 trip to Cuba focus on the sugar industry and include subjects such as worker conditions, the sugar production process, the success and failure of businesses, sugar taxes and quotas, and American businessmen in Cuba. The notes also include his observations from traveling around the country and visiting sugar mills and other production facilities.The remainder of the collection is composed of materials Jenks collected about the Cuban sugar industry. The papers include statistics, articles, and reports produced by government agencies, sugar associations, and scholars. The majority of the papers provide statistics on the cost of sugar production, sugar output, and the types of sugar production, with an emphasis on the Colono System. The materials also include forms and contracts produced by sugar companies, articles analyzing problems of the sugar industry, notices of laws, and statements by the United States Tariff Commission on cost and investment data regarding sugar.