File No. 839.00/1801
[Untitled]
Santo Domingo, April 15, 1916, 8 a.m.
Great excitement here yesterday. Commander of fort and chief of republican guard made prisoners in the country place of the President. Desiderio Arias objected to this method of removing his friends, entered fort and took command as Minister of War; sent for me last night to explain his attitude saying that he was not in rebellion against the President but that this coup, initiated by Minister of the Interior, was sure to cause trouble and he took this step to preserve order. Members of all opposition parties flocked to Arias and offered services with the exception of Velasquez faction. Castine in port.