g, the US sought to acquire the Mexican province of California and consequently, the harbors of San Francisco and San Diego. The American foreign policy with respect to Mexico which ensued in the following years was governed almost exclusively by President James Polk's personal opinions and actions and then Nicholas Trist's defiant behavior; a manifestation of the state-centric theory in which key individual decision makers govern policy. However, it is also apparent that many of Polk's policies were secondarily influenced by the relative power consideration, American mass ideology and public opinion. Beginning in 1845, President Polk began considering the possible annexation of California; never revealing this intention to the public. Although he wished to achieve this goal peaceably (by simply purchasing the land from Mexico), he soon learned that a conflict was inevitable. When Polk ordered General Taylor to cross the Nueces River and eventually to fortify on the Rio Grande (January 1846), he fully understood the possible consequences of such an action. In fact, by deploying Taylor and his troops, Polk "slowly squeezed Mexico militarily until it struck back". Polk waited for Mexican aggression and stressed that American blood was spilled on American soil (this was not quite an accurate statement); thus garnering enough public and congressional support to declare war on Mexico without domestic unrest; as Norman Graebner points out, "Polk was too astute a politician to favor any cause until public opinion had crystallized". Although the war declaration had no reference to territorial conquest, Polk's diary conveys his clandestine intentions of acquiring of the coveted California as well as New Mexico. The decision by the president to occupy Mexico clearly took into account public opinion, but the most striking reason for his unwavering declaration of war was his conviction that California was a strong economic and strategic addition to...
