839.00/7–1144
The Ambassador in the Dominican Republic ( Briggs ) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 18.]
Sir: With reference on the one hand to my Secret airgram no. 297 of June 28 and to my Secret despatch no. 70 of July 5 setting forth my estimate of conditions in the Dominican Republic, and on the other hand to my despatches no. 39 of June 21 and no. 84 of July 68 in regard to the activities of Attachés I have the honor to enclose the text of a “questionnaire”9 which the Acting Military Attaché10 informs me he received in confidence last March from a member of a group plotting the overthrow of the Trujillo Government. This emissary reportedly saw Captain Ruff again toward the end of last May, shortly before my arrival in Ciudad Trujillo, but at my request has not subsequently met with him. A somewhat similar “questionnaire” reached the Legal Attaché recently.
I wish to invite the Department’s special attention to the enclosed document received by the Acting Military Attaché which seeks to ascertain the views with respect to a possible revolution in the Dominican Republic of the War Department (not, it will be observed, of the United States Government as such, or of the State Department).
In the foregoing connection I also call the Department’s attention to the following excerpt from my aforementioned Secret despatch no. 70, in which I stated that my recommendations as to policy
“are based on the premise that although Trujillo’s dictatorship represents the negation of many of the principles to which the United States subscribes, promotion of his overthrow is not the responsibility of the American Government nor would such action be consistent with our present commitments with respect to non-intervention. Trujillo is primarily a Dominican problem, for solution by the Dominican people.”
In my opinion during the past ten days Trujillo’s position has deteriorated to an appreciable degree, although not yet to the point [Page 1021] where his overthrow becomes an imminent possibility. The capital, however, is full of all sorts of rumors in which conflicting “bolas” concerning the attitude of the American Embassy are widespread, and are apparently being promoted with particular zeal by wishful thinkers in the opposition camp. The government is now plainly somewhat worried and in an effort to cope with the situation I understand Trujillo’s secret police (who have rarely been inactive in the past fourteen years) have been considerably augmented and that arrests of alleged “revolutionaries” both here and in the provinces are being made. Furthermore, it is my impression that all members of the Embassy staff are subject to almost constant surveillance and scrutiny, and that strong efforts are being made to check the identity of everyone with whom members of the Embassy come in contact.
What the future of the Trujillo administration may be I shall not in this despatch attempt to predict, but I submit that the mere receiving from a member of the opposition of a “questionnaire” along the lines of the enclosed document has highly explosive and dangerous possibilities and entails risks of misinterpretation of or misrepresentation of the position of our Government that could lead to great embarrassment to us in the conduct of our inter-American relations.
Captain Ruff informs me that he (quite properly) declined to express any opinion with respect to the “questionnaire” but in view of the aforesaid dangers I have requested that he cease to have any contact whatsoever with the individual in question.
Respectfully yours,