Office of the Historian

573. Letter From the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Holland) to the Ambassador in Venezuela (McIntosh)1

Washington, June 21, 1956

Dear Dempster: I have received your letter of June 11 regarding the false rumors of trouble in Venezuela and I appreciate your thoughtful appraisal of the situation in Venezuela as it affects the stability of the government.2 I am sure that large scale graft and personal rivalries for power are the outstanding weaknesses of this, and of many other, dictatorships. So far President Pérez Jiménez appears to have shown considerable skill in eliminating one threat at a time to his control of the country but the sum total of the persons he alienates becomes an increasingly important factor in itself. We [Page 1134] shall continue to follow with interest your despatches and other reports on the subject.

With best wishes,

Sincerely,

Henry F. Holland3
  1. Source: Department of State, Holland Files: Lot 57 D 295, Venezuela. Secret. Drafted by Davis. Dempster McIntosh was confirmed by the Senate as Ambassador in Venezuela on March 28, and presented his credentials to the Government of Venezuela on April 26.↩
  2. McIntosh’s letter from Caracas reported that “many thoughtful people here are of the opinion that the large-scale corruption which appears to be fairly widespread among civilian government officials or friends of the government, and also among many military officers … is the greatest single source of danger to the present government of Venezuela.” In his letter McIntosh concurred in that opinion, and added: “However, in a dictatorship, even a benevolent one, there are always present, actually or potentially, forces of discontent or of personal ambitions which sometimes cannot be controlled and therefore, although the present situation certainly appears to be quiet, I would not personally assume the responsibility of guaranteeing that the individuals who control the present government in this country are assured of remaining in power for an indefinite period of time in the future although they will probably do so.” (Ibid.)↩
  3. Printed from a copy which bears this typed signature.↩