File No. 839.00/1915
[Untitled]
Santo Domingo, August 26, 1916, 9 a.m.
The President requested an interview with me yesterday to talk over matters with him and Peynado, former Minister at Washington. The conference lasted for two hours and it is evident that Peynado is to play a very important part in this administration. [Page 235] The President told me that I could say to you that he realized absolute necessity of reforming the country with our help, that he was obliged to accept the status quo in regard to our control of finances; that the army would be called in to be organized into some sort of police, and that he would need the assistance of our military officials for this; that the suspension of payments placed him in helpless condition; that the above measure had never been taken with any other Government and that it seemed to him as if he, so full of desires for reform, had been selected as the victim. I asked him if he could not put in the form of a decree his acceptance of the status quo to which he replied that this was absolutely outside of his faculties but that the fact that he did accept ought to be enough for us. He stated that if we had any idea of withdrawing the troops he would request us to keep them here. I told the President that I would communicate the result of this interview to you. I am sure that with the anti-American advisers surrounding him the President will be hampered in granting the reforms desired by us however well disposed he himself may be.