Haiti: U.S. Relations with Haiti1
1. A brief history of U.S. relations with Haiti between 1957 and 1959, prepared by the Second Secretary of the Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Virgil P. Randolph, III, was transmitted to the Department of State in despatch 83, August 24, 1959. (Department of State, Central Files, 611.38/8–2459)
[Facsimile Page 1]HA–1. Memorandum from the Director of the Office of Middle American Affairs (Wieland) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Rubottom)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 738.00/1–958. Confidential. Drafted by Edward Little, Deputy Director of the Office of Caribbean and Mexican Affairs; and cleared with Albert Post of the Office of Inter-American Regional Economic Affairs. Paragraphs 1, 4, 5(a), and 5(d) were also cleared by telephone with Kenneth Wright, the Assistant Chief of the Cuba-Haiti-Mexico Branch of the International Cooperation Administration. A marginal notation by Rubottom indicates the Assistant Secretary’s approval of the list of suggested elements in the memorandum. A separate notation on the source text indicates that a copy of the memorandum was given to Ambassador Gerald Drew on January 10.
HA–4. Letter from the Ambassador in Haiti (Drew) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Rubottom)
Source: Department of State, Rubottom Files, Lot 60 D 553, “Haiti 1958.” Secret; Official-Informal.
HA–5. Telegram from the Ambassador in Haiti (Drew) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 738.00/7–3058. Confidential; Niact; Limit Distribution. During the night of July 28–29, a small band of insurgents landed on the Haitian coast and seized an army barracks in Port-au-Prince. In the course of retaking the barracks on July 29, Haitian government forces killed all of the insurgents. Additional documentation this incident is in file 738.00.
HA–6. Memorandum of a Conversation, the White House
Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, International
File. Confidential. Drafted by Wieland.
In a memorandum to President Eisenhower of August 7, Acting
Secretary of State Herter
recommended that the President meet with Foreign Minister Mars as it was “highly desirable
that you receive the Foreign Minister in order to dispel any
impression that we countenance the organization of revolutionary
expeditions in the United States against Dr. Duvalier’s government.”
(Eisenhower Library, Herter
Papers)
HA–7. Memorandum from the Director of the Office of Middle American Affairs (Wieland) to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Snow)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 738.5811/8–2858.
Secret. Drafted by Norman
Warner, Officer in Charge of Haitian Affairs, and
cleared with George O.
Spencer of the Office of Inter-American Regional
Political Affairs.
The source text is an uninitialed carbon
copy. Attached to the source text is a memorandum from Wieland to Rubottom dated January 22, 1959,
which describes several of the documents relating to the Marine
Corps mission to Haiti. It indicates that the August 28 memorandum
constitutes a “position paper” on the subject.
HA–8. Record of a Meeting
Source: Department of State, ARA Special Assistant’s Files, Lot 60 D 371, “Haiti.” Confidential. Drafted by Post on October 13.
HA–9. Letter from the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Murphy) to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (Sprague)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 738.58/9-958. Confidential. Drafted by Warner and cleared in draft with Spencer and Athol H. Ellis of the office of the Special Assistant for Mutual Security Coordination.
HA–10. Draft Memorandum from the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Rubottom) to the Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs (Dillon)
Source: Department of State, Rubottom Files, Lot 61 D 279, “Haiti 1959.” Confidential. Drafted by Post. The source text is an uninitialed carbon copy that was not sent. It lists the concurrences of Assistant Security of State for Economic Affairs Thomas Mann, Special Assistant for Mutual Security Coordination John O. Bell, and Regional Director of the International Cooperation Administration’s Office of Latin American Operations Rollin S. Atwood. According to a memorandum from Snow to Dillon, undated but apparently drafted CIRCA February 12, the International Cooperation Administration had refused to concur in Rubottom’s memorandum of February 2 and had indicated instead that a “substantial revision” was needed. An uninitialed carbon copy of the ICA memorandum is attached to the source text.
HA–11. Telegram from the Ambassador in Haiti (Drew) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 738.00/2–2759. Confidential; Priority. Department telegram 317 to Port-au-Prince, February 25, requested the Embassy to report official and public reaction to the announcement that the United States was extending budgetary support to Haiti. The Embassy was also asked for its evaluation concerning the current stability of the Duvalier regime and the possibility of strengthening its popular bases of support. (738.5–MSP/2–2459)
HA–12. Telegram from the Acting Secretary of State to the Embassy in Haiti
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 738.00/3–359. Confidential; Niact. Drafted by Warner; cleared with Wieland and John C. Hill, the Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs; and signed by Rubottom. Robert Donhauser, Special Assistant to the Deputy Under Secretary of State for political Affairs, was informed of the telegram’s content.
HA–13. Despatch from the Ambassador in Haiti (Drew) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 738.00/3–1159. Confidential.
HA–14. Telegram from the Acting Secretary of State to the Embassy in Haiti
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 738.00/5–3059. Secret; Niact; Limited Distribution. Drafted by Rubottom and initialed by Wieland. On May 27, Ambassador Drew informed the Department of State that he had learned from Haitian officials in strictest confidence that President Duvalier had suffered a coronary occlusion during the evening of May 24 and that his condition continued to be grave. (Telegram 415 from Port-au-Prince, May 27; 738.11/5–2759) In response to a request from Haitian officials for United State medical assistance, the Department of State arranged with the Department of Defense for the Chief Cardiologist at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base to proceed with special equipment to Port-au-Prince on May 29. Documentation is in file 738.11. Following his recovery, President Duvalier sent a letter to President Eisenhower on July 13 personally thanking the President, the Department of State, and Ambassador Drew for their assistance during his illness. (738.11/7–2359)
HA–15. Telegram from the Ambassador in Haiti (Drew) to the Department of State
Source: Department
of State, Central Files, 738.5/7–859. Confidential; Priority.
Repeated for information to Habana and Ciudad Trujillo.
On July
2, the Dominican Republic had requested the assistance of the
Organization of American States following the landing of
revolutionary expeditions in its territory. For additional
information, see Document DR–8, for
documentation relating to the Fifth Meeting of Consultation of the
Foreign Ministers of the American Republics, held at Santiago August
12–18, 1959, Chile, to consider rising tensions in the Caribbean,
see Documents CH–23; CR–24; PR–11; VE–34.
On July 8, Ambassador Drew reported that Foreign
Minister Mars had informed
him that the Haitian Government was extremely concerned about
reported Cuban and Costa Rican preparations for an invasion of Haiti
preliminary to a renewed attack on the Dominican Republic. (Telegram
8 from Port-au-Prince; 738.00/7–859)
HA–16. Telegram from the Acting Secretary of State to the Embassy in Haiti
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 738.00/7–1059. Confidential; Priority. Drafted by Little; cleared in draft with Rubottom and John C. Dreier, Acting Director of the Office of Inter-American Regional Political Affairs; cleared in substance with Captain R. Kefauver, Head of the Western Hemisphere Branch of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations; and signed by Wieland. Donhauser was also informed of the telegram’s substance.
HA–17. Memorandum of Conversation, Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 738.00/7–2159. Confidential. Drafted by Warner on July 22.
HA–18. Memorandum of a Conversation, the White House, Washington
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.38/8–459. Official Use Only. Drafted by Rubottom.
HA–19. Memorandum from Albert Post of the Office of Inter-American Regional Economic Affairs to the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Rubottom)
Source: Department of State, ARA/BCP Files, Lot 64 D 353, “Various AMB Turkel Memos 1959–1960.” Official Use Only. Cleared with Wieland; sent through Harry R. Turkel, Director of the Office of Inter-American Regional Economic Affairs. A notation on the source text by Rubottom reads: “Approved. R[oy] R[ubottom].”
HA–20. Memorandum from the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Rubottom) to the Secretary of State
Source: Department of State, Rubottom-Mann Files, Lot 62 D 418, “Haiti 1960.” Confidential; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Warner.
HA–21. Memorandum from the Under Secretary of State (Dillon) to the President
Source: Eisenhower Library, White House Central Files. Secret.
HA–22. Memorandum from the Acting Director of the International Cooperation. Administration (Saccio) to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Merchant)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 738.5-MSP/7–2060. Secret.
HA–23. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 738.5-MSP/6–2860. Confidential. Drafted by Warner.
HA–25. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 738.5-MSP/8–3160. Confidential. Drafted by Warner.
HA–26. Special National Intelligence Estimate
Source: Department of State, INR–NIE Files. Secret. According to a note on the cover sheet, “The following intelligence organizations participated in the preparation of this estimate: The Central Intelligence Agency and the intelligence organizations of the Departments of State, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and The Joint Staff.” The estimate was concurred in by the United States Intelligence Board on September 27, 1960.
HA–27. Telegram from the Secretary of State to the Embassy in Haiti
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 738.5-MSP/10–1860. Confidential. Drafted by Warner; cleared in draft with Atwood, in substance with W. Ellory Dension, of the Loan Division of the Export-Import Bank, and with Hebert N. Higgins of the Office of the Special Assistance for Mutual Security Affairs; and signed by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs Milton Barall.
HA–28. Telegram from the Ambassador in Haiti (Newbegin) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 838.10/11–2360. Confidential; Priority.
HA–29. Telegram from the Secretary of State to the Embassy in Haiti
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 838.10/11–2460. Confidential; Priority. Drafted by Richard B. Owen, Officer in Charge of Haitian Affairs, and by Edwin E. Vallon, Director of the Office of Caribbean and Mexican Affairs; cleared in draft with Turkel and in substance with Denison, Harlan A. Harrison, Chief of the Cuba-Dominican Republic-Haiti-Mexico Branch of the International Cooperation Administration, and Marski of the Development Loan Fund; and signed by Barall.