Foreign Relations of the United States, 1950, The United Nations; The Western Hemisphere, Volume II

638.39/1–550

Memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs ( Miller ) to the Secretary of State

confidential

[ Washington ,] January 5, 1950.

Subject: Haitian Charges Against the Dominican Republic.

The Haitian Government, through its Representative² on the Council of the Organization of American States, has charged the Dominican Government with participating in a serious plot to overthrow the Government of Haiti.³ The Haitians have requested that the Organization of American States take up this threat to Haiti’s security, either by invoking the Rio Treaty⁴ or by calling a Meeting of Consultation of American Foreign Ministers outside the Rio Treaty. A meeting of the Council will be held at 10:30 a. m. tomorrow (Friday) morning to consider this request.

Charges of intervention by the Dominican Government in Haiti’s political affairs were brought before the Inter-American Peace Committee last February. As a result of the good offices then exercised by the Committee, the Dominican Republic and Haiti issued identical declarations stating that they did not and would not tolerate any interference in each others political affairs.⁵ In the light of information we have obtained concerning the present charges, and in view of apparent inadequacy of past efforts at reconciliation, the request of the Haitians appears serious enough to warrant invoking the Rio Treaty. It seems most important at this stage that the facts in this case be clarified. However, there does not as yet seem to be sufficient basis for calling a full-scale Meeting of Foreign Ministers.

In the circumstances, it is planned that Ambassador Daniels will support, tomorrow, the Haitian request for invocation of Article 6 of the Rio Treaty. This procedure makes it possible for the Council of the Organization of American States, as was done in the Costa Rica-Nicaragua case a year ago,⁶ to act provisionally as Organ of Consultation under the Treaty, without setting a definite date or place for a Meeting of Foreign Ministers at this juncture. It is our view that the Council of the Organization of American States, acting as Provisional Organ, can take the steps necessary to determine the facts; and, without prejudice to subsequent moves that might be required, we would hope that a Meeting of Foreign Ministers would not actually have to be held. Supporting such a procedure will, in my opinion, offer the positive and constructive approach to the problem which this Government should take.

The conclusions set forth herein have been reached in consultation with UNA and L. It is recommended that you approve.⁷

Edward G. Miller, Jr.

2. Ambassador Joseph L. Déjean.
3. On January 3, 1950. For text of the Haitian note, see Annals of the Organization of American States, 1950, pp. 135–138.
4. For text of the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance, which entered into force for the United States on December 3, 1948, see Department of State Treaties and Other International Acts Series (TIAS) No. 1838, or 62 Stat. (pt. 2) 1681.
5. For text of the Joint Declaration of June 9, 1949, see Annals, 1949, p. 326.
6. For documentation on the position of the United States with regard to civil war in Costa Rica and incidents there involving Nicaraguan forces, see Foreign Relations, 1948, vol. ix, pp. 488 ff. For additional documents, see Annals, 1949, pp. 143–444 and 204–200. See also ibid., 1950, pp. 21–22.
7. A handwritten note on the margin of the source text reads: “Sec[retary] has approved. L[ucius] D. B[attle.]” Mr. Battle was Special Assistant to the Secretary of State.