On the night of March 18, 1938, President Lázaro Cárdenas spoke to the whole country by radio. In this message he announced the expropriation of the foreign oil companies.
On April 12, 1938, a national women’s committee led by Amalia Solórzano began a collection to pay the compensation. According to the INEHRM, the national institute for historical studies, it received cash and goods from citizens of every social class, “desde joyas hasta aves y electrodomésticos” (from jewelry to poultry and household appliances).