Shows how America began to intervene in world affairs. This book covers developments in New York, Washington, Santo Domingo, Brussels, and London. It recounts a little-known incident: the takeover by the Santo Domingo Improvement Company (SDIC) of the foreign debt, national railroad, and national bank of the Dominican Republic.

By proposing an economic remedy to a political problem, the book anticipates policies embodied in the Marshall Plan, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank.