File No. 839.00/658.]
The Acting Secretary of State to the American Minister to the Dominican Republic.
Washington, September 24, 1912, 4 p.m.
In view of the situation described in your September 19, the President has appointed Brigadier General Frank McIntyre, Chief of the Bureau of Insular Affairs, War Department, and Mr. Doyle of the Department of State, as Special Commissioners to proceed to Santo Domingo City, where they will confer with the Legation and the Receiver General of Customs, and hold such conferences as may be advisable with Dominican officials, for the purpose of adequately investigating the whole situation and reporting their recommendations as to the advisability of presenting to the Dominican Government a note which summarizes the situation, complains of increases of the debt to a point violative of the treaty, and earnestly counsels the Dominican Government: first, definitely to remove from office and authority the present Minister of War and Interior,2 as well as his brother who commands the armed forces (thus striking at what [Page 368] appears to be the root of the present unsatisfactory conditions); second, to decree amnesty and give personal guaranties to those who will lay down their arms and submit to the authority of the Government; third, to release from jail all political prisoners except those who were engaged in the assassination of President Cáceres; fourth, to confer and cooperate promptly with the American Minister and Receiver General of Customs in all appropriate matters, such as the maintenance of the reestablished customs guards along the Haitian frontier and the full protection of all customs receivers at their posts; and fifth, to make any other reforms needful for protection of the revenues and restoration of quiet and content throughout the Republic. The Commissioners are further instructed to recommend such other measures as they deem appropriate for the above-mentioned purposes.
The President has directed that the Commissioners proceed to Santo Domingo on the U. S. S. Prairie, which will leave Philadelphia September 27 and will carry some 750 marines and a naval officer of suitable rank; and that the movements of the Prairie be governed by the Commissioners as far as pertains to matters of policy; and further that the marines, in pursuance of the treaty, reestablish customhouses at proper points in all cases in which they have been interfered with.
You will communicate to the Dominican Government only the facts that the Commission is going to Santo Domingo to investigate the whole situation, and that the marines will if necessary be employed to reestablish and protect customhouses, in accordance with the treaty.
- General Alfredo M. Victoria↩