Office of the Historian

20. Memorandum From the Deputy Director for Coordination of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (Carter) to the Director of Intelligence and Research (Hughes)1

Washington, April 14, 1965.

SUBJECT

  • ARA–Agency Meeting April 14, 1965

PARTICIPANTS

  • ARA—Mr. Vaughn, Mr. Adams, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Crockett, Mr. Shlaudeman;
  • Agency—Mr. FitzGerald, [2 names not declassified]; INR/DDC—Mr. Carter

Dominican Republic

[2 paragraphs (6 lines of source text) not declassified]

In FitzGeraldʼs opinion we have three alternatives:

1.
Let Bosch and Balaguer run.
2.
Postpone the election for a year to allow time to “quiet down” the Bosch and Balaguer factions.
3.
Have “stretched out” elections, beginning with municipal elections in the Fall and following with congressional elections in the Spring. The presidential election would come still later.

Crockett commented that if the choice were between Bosch and Balaguer, he would readily take Balaguer. [name not declassified] said this was also his position.

Vaughn expressed the opinion that for the present “the economic bind” has been eased a bit and asked if there was “nothing on the horizon to strengthen Reid?”

Crockett responded that he favored Reid but saw “no way to make it wash.”

Vaughn wanted to know if we could build Reid up in a year. Agency representatives thought that Reid is getting weaker rather than stronger and Crockett pointed out the elections are presently scheduled for September.

The question was raised as to whether we might use the DR military to put pressure on Reid should we want him to stand aside. FitzGerald commented that Adolph Berle has developed a relationship with Wessin y Wessin (DR Army Chief). Crockett cautioned that Reid “may not roll over and play dead even if we ask him to.”

Vaughn wanted to know what kind of cabinet Balaguer could muster. Crockett thought it would be a good one.

[2 paragraphs (5 lines of source text) not declassified]2

[Omitted here is discussion of other subjects.]

  1. Source: Department of State, INR/IL Historical Files, Dominican Republic 1965. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted on April 16. Also sent to George C. Denney, Jr. and Allan Evans (both INR/OD).↩
  2. Ambassador Bennett left Santo Domingo for consultations in Washington on April 23. He stopped in Georgia to visit his parents, intending to go to Washington the night of April 25. (Martin, Overtaken By Events, p. 645) Bennett, Vaughn, Mann, Sayre, and Read met with Secretary Rusk on April 26 at 11:40 a.m. (Johnson Library, Rusk Appointment Book) No other record of the meeting has been found.↩