Statement of the problem. This paper is an examination of William Sydney Porter's Latin American stories in light of their inter-American significance. The basic point of view from which the study is made is that Porter is a North American writing about Latin American at the beginning of the twentieth century. The paper examines the Latin American and North American characters which appear in the stories and catalogs them into groups of stereotypes.The aim of this study is to discover Porter's ideas, views, and concepts of Latin America, Latin Americans, and North Americas in Latin America, as they are expressed in his stories. This study cannot establish what Porter's personal thoughts on Latin America and Latin Americans actually were, for Porter never published a first-person report of these thoughts. Much of the study depends entirely on the views, opinions, and feelings of the speakers and characters in the stories. Many of Porter's North American characters demonstrate a negative attitude toward Latin America and its people, an attitude which is in keeping with their characters. This is particularly true of Porter's North American soldier of fortune type, speculator type, adventurer type, and fugitive type. However, in order to point out the general attitude toward Latin America which is developed and expressed by Porter in his stories, it will be necessary to lump together the views and opinions of all his speakers and characters.