Brookings Institution Report: Porto Rico and Its Problems (1930)

In 1929, the Brookings Institution published "Porto Rico and Its Problems," a comprehensive study commissioned by the U.S. government to assess conditions in Puerto Rico after three decades of American rule.

The report, authored by Victor S. Clark and a team of researchers, documented widespread poverty, malnutrition, disease, and economic inequality — in a territory that was generating enormous agricultural wealth for American corporations.

Key Findings:

• Poverty: Per capita income in Puerto Rico was $122 per year (compared to $750 on the mainland), making it the poorest jurisdiction under U.S. control
• Malnutrition: Widespread malnutrition, particularly among children, in a land that exported sugar, tobacco, and coffee
• Disease: High rates of hookworm, malaria, tuberculosis, and anemia
• Land Concentration: Confirmed the domination of the sugar industry by four American corporations controlling tens of thousands of acres
• Education: Despite 30 years of U.S. rule, illiteracy remained high and educational resources were grossly inadequate
• Labor: Sugar workers earned as little as 30-50 cents per day during the harvest season and had no employment during the "dead time" (tiempo muerto)

The Brookings report is significant because it was commissioned by the colonial government itself and documented the failure of American rule by the metrics Americans claimed to value: prosperity, education, health, and opportunity. The report demonstrated that 30 years of U.S. colonial rule had not delivered the "blessings of liberal institutions" promised by General Miles in 1898 — it had instead created a colonial economy designed to extract wealth from the island while leaving its people in poverty.