The Wood-Forbes Mission

This chapter addresses how General Leonard Wood and Cameron Forbes were assigned to conduct a thorough on-the-ground investigation as to whether the Philippines passed a three-point test for independence. Is the Philippine government properly and effectively administered? Are the non-Christian minority people properly cared for? Is the country's defense adequate to repel foreign aggression? While many issues surfaced concerning the Philippine situation, Wood and Forbes focused their report on the chaotic fiscal situation of the colonial government, which was on the verge of collapse. Their interviews also uncovered aspects of Francis Burton Harrison's professional and personal life. The mission's officials sought to downplay Harrison's foibles, but he had many enemies in the American community due to his policies that transferred almost all official positions from Americans to Filipinos. Indeed, there was a tinge of anti-Americanism in Harrison's worldview. For Forbes, however, the most disturbing aspect of Harrison's tenure was his failure to properly manage his constituents. Ultimately, Wood and Forbes's evaluation included criticisms of the banking system and the overall economic health, or lack thereof, of the Philippines.