839.00B/6–1247
The Ambassador in the Dominican Republic (Butler) to the Secretary of State
No. 858
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Embassy’s despatch no. 854 of June 10, 194713 entitled “President Trujillo appoints new Commission to deal with Communism”, and to enclose a clipping and translation from La Nación of June 11, 1947,13 consisting of a presidential message to the Congress requesting passage of a law to outlaw Communist and Communist-type parties or groups, thus forbidding their legal activity in Dominican politics. The bill itself has not been published, but it was rushed through two readings in the Senate on June 10 and now, presumably, passes to the House for consideration and action.
In his message, the President differentiates between Communists in the Dominican Republic and those in other countries. He claims that most Communists limit themselves to propagandizing certain ideals within the legal framework of the particular country, but that here, far from maintaining any constructive belief, the Communists are striving to break down the institutions and governmental machinery by violence and to do this in a brief period of time. The President, furthermore, does not fail to point out the Communists’ blind obedience [Page 638] to groups outside of the Dominican Republic who are striving to accomplish a world imperialism by old-fashioned methods.
It is possible that President Trujillo does feel some genuine fear of the local Popular Socialist (Communist) Party and the Democratic Youth, both of which are at present practically helpless opposition groups. It is more likely that President Trujillo is putting on a clever show of opposition to Communism (without, however, mentioning the USSR except by implication) in order to ride certain currents now becoming clearly noticeable in the United States. If this latter supposition is correct, the objective of the President is to use his anti-Communist program as a basis for a fairly close rapprochement with the United States Government; without, however, his having to yield one inch in his arbitary manner of ruling the Dominican Republic.
The Embassy’s basic analysis of the Dominican political situation is contained in secret despatch no. 790 of May 28, 1947.
Respectfully yours,