New Orleans was to be the gateway to Central and South America, and Tulane was to provide the answers to any and all questions. To this end, Gates hired at least three people, Harold A. Mattice, Foster Morrell, and his sister, Elizabeth Curtis Payne, to copy bibliographical cards at the New York Public Library, the Pan American Union, and the library of the Department of Agriculture. Gates's tenure at Tulane was short-lived and his bibliography was never completed. Many of the cards have been lost or do not refer specifically to the Department of Middle Research, as Gates had indicated they would. The importance of the collection lies in the fact that works cited date from 1924 or before.
Many citations here are for works published at the turn of the century.
As it stands today, the bibliography covers topics under letters A to S only. Although it relates principally to works on Central America, there are citations for South American countries in many catagories.