Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, American Republics: Multilateral; Mexico; Caribbean, Volume VI

314. Memorandum From the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Rubottom) to the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Murphy)¹

Washington, January 15, 1957.

SUBJECT

• Disappearance of Gerald Lester Murphy and Death of Octavio de la Maza

Gerald Lester Murphy was a 23 year-old airplane pilot, native of Eugene, Oregon. On December 3, 1956, he left his apartment in Ciudad Trujillo at 4 P.M. and has not been seen again.

Since his disappearance, the following information has been turned up about him by U.S. Agencies:

1. From sometime in February, 1956 until late November, 1956 he was employed as a co-pilot for the Compania Dominicana de Aviacion. For several months previously, he apparently served as “personal pilot” for Brigadier General Arturo Espaillat, at that time Under-Secretary of State for Armed Forces. (Espaillat became Dominican Consul General in New York City around May, 1956.)

2. Murphy told his American fiancee² that in March, 1956 he flew an apparently drugged man in a light plane non-stop from New York to Ciudad Trujillo. He later “learned” the man was Jesus de Galindez, anti-Trujillo Spanish exile who disappeared from New York City on March 12, 1956. Murphy told at least one other person the same story, and also indicated to an American pilot who shared a room with him in Ciudad Trujillo that he, Murphy, “knew” what had happened to Galindez.

3. Murphy once related to his fiancee (showing her a bag full of U.S. currency) and to a confidential informant of unknown reliability that he had been assigned to deliver funds from Generalissimo Trujillo to Cuban revolutionaries in Cuba. He also told at least two other Americans that he had been asked by “certain” Dominican officials to fly a plane over Habana and bomb the city.

4. Most of the persons interviewed who knew Murphy, during his approximately one-year stay in the Dominican Republic agree that he gave the appearance of being involved in some sort of clandestine activities, presumably on behalf of the Dominican Government, if not Generalissimo Trujillo himself.

5. Several sources agree that Murphy’s employment by CDA, and subsequent favored treatment, from CDA executives, caused a certain dissatisfaction among Dominican pilots in the CDA. One source (the former American pilot roommate previously referred to) told an SY agent in Miami that a certain Octavio de la Maza, had been particularly resentful of Murphy’s special influence in CDA.

From Murphy’s disappearance until recently, Embassy Ciudad Trujillo was dealing with the Dominican authorities in the same manner in which we normally would deal with any other government in an effort to locate Murphy. In line with this policy an Embassy officer disclosed to the Dominican Attorney General on the afternoon of December 17, 1956, that “possible ‘bad blood’ might have existed between Murphy and de la Maza”. That same evening de la Maza was arrested and held incommunicado.

On January 7, at noon, our Chargé was informed that de la Maza had hanged himself in his cell at 4 A.M. that morning. The Chargé was shown an alleged suicide note in which de la Maza said he had met Murphy the evening of December 3rd, that they went to the site near the sea where Murphy’s automobile was later found, that Murphy had made “improper advances”, that there was a struggle during which Murphy fell into the sea, and that de la Maza had decided to kill himself out of remorse.

Developments since January 7 have been as follows:

1. Embassy Ciudad Trujillo has indicated its belief that de la Maza was murdered by the Dominican authorities in an attempt to provide a solution for Murphy’s disappearance. It is to be noted in this regard that twice, in talks with our Chargé, the Dominican Foreign Minister has pointedly recalled that the Embassy had tipped the Dominicans off to the de la Maza–Murphy link.

2. Various offices of the Department which have been involved with the Murphy–de la Maza cases—SCA, SY, SCS, ARA/P and MID/C—agree that numerous questionable circumstances at this time justify the conclusion de la Maza’s alleged suicide is obviously a Dominican strategem designed to discourage any U.S. inquiries about Murphy, especially because of his reported activities as a Trujillo agent. For our part, we have instructed our Embassy to avoid giving the Dominicans any indication that we consider the Murphy case closed.

3. We have asked through our Embassy that the Dominican Government furnish us with the original suicide note on loan, the stenographic record of/or other interviews with de la Maza, a certified copy of the death certificate and a certified copy of the autopsy, if one had been performed. Our suggested explanation for the Dominicans was that these documents would enable us to fulfill the various normal legal formalities required in closing cases of missing persons such as Murphy. Actually, we wanted to get on the record our efforts to get the fullest information from the Dominican authorities, at the same time indicating we still were not ready to forget about Murphy.

4. The UP carried an article on January 11 saying the United States Government had requested the Dominican Government to continue its investigation of Murphy’s disappearance, and quoting official circles in Washington as not precluding the possibility of political motives in connection with Murphy’s disappearance. On January 12 the Dominican Foreign Minister confronted our Chargé with the text of this article and asked him to obtain the Department’s views regarding it. The Foreign Minister seemed particularly concerned lest this article mark the beginning of a U.S. press campaign against the Dominican Republic.

5. On January 12, the Dominican Foreign Minister during an unusually long meeting with Embassy officers insistently sought to ascertain our position. Our Embassy comments that “the probing by the Foreign Minister reveals as nothing heretofore the probable intimate relations between Murphy and Generalissimo Trujillo and the Galindez affair.” The Embassy further believes our pressure on the Dominicans should be kept alive by releasing bits and pieces to the press.

Our Recommended Attitude:

1. We should simply say that we are not responsible for the article. It represents the efforts of a private press agency reporter and the Dominican Republic is aware of the independent press in this country.

2. However, we should tell the Dominicans that on the basis of all available information which has reached us, we cannot consider Murphy’s disappearance as solved simply because of de la Maza’s confession. The possibility still remains that for some reasons still unknown to us de la Maza may have deliberately lied in his suicide note. In view of Congressional and press interest as well as our obligation to the Murphy family, we are required to continue our inquiries.

3. For the time being, we prefer to keep our pressure on the Dominican Government directly, rather than through possible press “leaks”. We have therefore instructed our Embassy to request from the Dominican authorities a full report containing whatever information they may have or can procure concerning Murphy’s stay in the Dominican Republic—his employment, his personal life and associations, et cetera.

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 239.1122–Murphy, Gerald Lester/1–1557. Confidential.
2. Celia (Sally) Caire, a Pan American Airlines hostess.