Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, The American Republics, Volume IV

739.5 MSP/2–152

The Ambassador in the Dominican Republic ( Ackerman ) to the Department of State ¹

top secret
No. 462

Ciudad Trujillo , February 1, 1952.

Ref:

• Department’s Top Secret Instruction No. 39 of January 28, 1952.²

Subject:

• Dominican Position in Hemisphere Defense Plans.

In view of the information received from the Department to the effect that the Cuban Government might be approached on January 29 concerning its participation in hemispheric defense under the authority conferred in the Mutual Security Act of 1951,³ I discussed with Mr. Mann, during his short visit here, the desirability of my approaching President Trujillo to inform him of the noninclusion of the Dominican Republic at this time in these negotiations prior to announcement of the commencement of discussions with Cuba. Mr. Mann agreed with me on the importance of timing our approach. As he had a copy of a draft reply⁴ by the Defense Department to Deputy Secretary of State Matthews’ letter of December 21, I had sufficient information concerning the decisions of the two departments to permit me to make such an approach without awaiting the Department’s top secret instruction of January 28.

President Trujillo granted me an interview on January 29 at which time I informed him that the purpose of my call was to keep him posted regarding developments in our planning for hemisphere defense. I mentioned that during my recent visit to Washington a group from the Department of State including Messrs. Mann, Hauch ⁵ and other advisers had accompanied me on a visit to the Pentagon to discuss with representatives of the three branches of the Armed Forces who were acting as advisers to the Joint Chiefs of Staff on hemisphere defense the position of the Dominican Republic in those plans. I pointed out that in the Mutual Defense Act of 1951 Congress had approved the allocation of 38 millions of dollars for expenditure in Latin America for military defense and that groups of Defense Department representatives had recently begun negotiations in several countries of Latin America for programs designed to improve their defense forces and prepare the way for integration into the general scheme of coordination with the efforts being made by the United States in this connection.

At that meeting the officials of the Armed Forces maintained that the funds appropriated by Congress for these purposes were extremely limited for the task in hand and that the Joint Chiefs of Staff were faced with the problem of determining where they might best be employed in order to insure strongest possible hemispheric defense. As many of these countries were large suppliers of important strategic materials and some of them had long coast-lines to defend, emphasis had to be given to the importance of these considerations in reaching an overall conclusion. It had therefore been decided that in the allocation of grant aid from the small sums available for the present fiscal year, Brazil would be allotted the largest sums, and that Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Cuba would also participate. Although the Defense Department group were sympathetic to the State Department’s recommendation that the Dominican Republic also participate in this program, they could not give us affirmative assurances until after further consideration of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

I told the President that the Secretary of Defense⁶ had now informed the State Department of its inability to include the Dominican Republic in the grant aid program because of the limited funds available and the uncertainty as to the funds which may be available during the next fiscal year, despite the fact that the Defense Department recognizes that the Dominican Republic is important to the defense of the Antilles area. Although I did not wish to hold out false hopes for the future, it is not unlikely that as plans for hemisphere defense develop the United States might make available grant aid to the Dominican Republic in furtherance of the hemispheric defense program. Grant aid, however, involves certain definite commitments on the part of recipients which undoubtedly would require them to make substantial additional expenditures in effecting the desired coordination. I also remarked that the Defense Department has informed the State Department that all possible consideration is now being granted to Dominican requests for reimbursable assistance and that this would continue to the extent compatible with the United States’ defense requirements and the existing critical supply situation.

In view of the relations now existing between this country and Cuba I emphasized the strategic importance of Cuba by reason of its proximity to the United States which led to the inclusion of that country in the program. The President remarked that he could appreciate that military considerations made it necessary to include Cuba. As a matter of fact, he stated, if the Cuban Government and the American Government enter into an agreement for hemispheric defense certain advantages might accrue to the Dominican Republic as it might have the effect of discouraging Cuba from being in sympathy with the various movements which develop from time to time on its territory against the peace and welfare of neighboring nations and it might also alienate some officials of the Cuban Government from their attitude of tolerance and support of the Communistic groups now directing the destinies of Guatemala.

The President thanked me for informing him of these developments in the program of hemispheric defense and especially for the sympathetic attitude of the State Department towards the Dominican Republic. He asked me to assure the Department of State that to the extent of his ability it would have his full cooperation in the task now being undertaken. I informed him that, anticipating those assurances, I had informed the Department and the officers of the defense forces, with whom I had consulted, that in my opinion such cooperation would be forthcoming from him and that I had cited the agreement for the Guided Missile bases⁷ as one of the several indications of his attitude in this connection. Nevertheless, I assured him that I would again transmit his assurances to the Department.

I am convinced that it was highly desirable for me to discuss this matter with President Trujillo prior to the announcement of the negotiations with the Cuban Government for it prevented him from forming an opinion that by our strengthening the Cuban armed forces that country might be encouraged to again permit the organization of expeditionary forces for attacks on this country. I also believe that if it becomes desirable later to include this country within the hemisphere defense program the way has been paved for sympathetic consideration of any future approach.

I should like for the Department to endeavor to seek from the Defense Department more positive assurances for consideration of Dominican requests for reimbursable assistance. In paragraph three of the letter from the Secretary of Defense,⁸ the Department has been admonished to avoid intimations which may raise false hopes for assistance beyond that now being granted. I believe the Department will agree with me that little consideration thus far has been given to the requests of the Dominican Republic by the Department of Defense for reimbursable aid. Over a year ago the Dominican Embassy was refused permission to acquire tanks for the Dominican Air Force on the grounds that those which it desired to export had been scrapped and regulations prevented them from being granted permission to ship them from the United States, and no suggestion as to how the Dominicans might satisfy their needs was made. Almost a year has transpired since the Dominican Embassy sought to acquire from the Defense Department a number of F–47 planes; they were at first denied on the grounds that the Air Department did not have a supply of repair parts adequate for the maintenance of their operation. Although it now appears that the Defense Department is more sympathetic to this request, negotiations have not been concluded. So far as I know, within the last year the only cooperation afforded by the Defense Department to the requests of the Dominican Government, despite the fact that during that period the Dominican Government agreed to permit the establishment of AFMTC site on its territory and accorded extraordinary facilities and cooperation to the various exploration groups, was in approving priorities for a few small items for the airport and Navy Department and by not interposing objections to the export of four PBY planes purchased from private sources. Although the Department may have additional indications of reimbursable cooperation, in my opinion the Defense Department has not been very sympathetic to Dominican requests.

Ralph H. Ackerman

1. Drafted by Ambassador Ackerman.
2. The referenced instruction authorized Ambassador Ackerman to discuss informally with Dominican authorities hemisphere defense plans with respect to the Dominican Republic, and to express the hope that the Dominican role in these plans could be enlarged (739.5 MSP/1–2552).
3. Public Law 165, approved Oct. 10, 1951; for text, see 65 Stat. 373.
4. Presumably a draft copy of Deputy Secretary of Defense Foster’s letter dated Jan. 25, 1952, supra.
5. Charles C. Hauch, Office of Middle American Affairs.
6. Robert A. Lovett.
7. Apparent reference to the Agreement for extending the Long Range Proving Ground (LRPG) for the testing of guided missiles through a portion of the territory of the Dominican Republic, signed at Ciudad Trujillo, Nov. 26, 1951, and entered into force on the same date; for text, see TIAS No. 2425, or 3 UST (pt. 2) 2569.
8. Apparent reference to subparagraph (3) of Mr. Foster’s letter of Jan. 25, 1952, supra.