| Abstrakt: |
When inflation began to rise rapidly in 1973, the Mexico City middle classes reacted to growing economic instability by participating in a wave of rumour and gossip about prices and possible peso devaluations, and by repeating jokes that targeted President Luis Echeverría's (1970–1976) policies and personality. This article examines how the Mexican state responded to this political banter by sending government spies to eavesdrop or collect juicy details from informants. The author focuses on one government spy report that details gossip and rumour in everyday sites of consumption, such as supermarkets and dry-cleaning shops, to discuss the promises and problems of using the recently declassifiedGobernación(Ministry of the Interior) intelligence archive. Analysed alongside other sources, these intelligence reports offer an unusual window into the everyday history of economic crisis and Cold War politics. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER] |
