144. Memorandum From the Representative to the Organization of American States (Bunker) to President Johnson 1
SUBJECT
- Current Situation in the Dominican Republic
During the last two weeks encouraging progress has been made toward restoring normal conditions in the city of Santo Domingo and establishing a better political climate in the Dominican Republic as a whole.
The commercial banks located in the former Constitutionalist Zone have been open and in full operation since November 2. As of the same date, the countryʼs major newspapers, El Caribe and Listin Diario, resumed publication. Shops and stores in the former Zone are now conducting business in a normal manner. The port of Santo Domingo is [Page 343] open and servicing ships—seven were discharging cargo on November 12—and preparation for the rehabilitation of the portʼs facilities, extensively damaged during the revolt, will begin this week under the supervision of a representative of the Bureau of Yards and Docks.
Since the securing of the former Constitutionalist Zone by the IAPF on October 25, the situation of public order in Santo Domingo has improved markedly. The National Police has gradually increased its strength and effectiveness in the former Constitutionalist Zone and now maintains 24–hour foot and motor patrols in the area. The Inter-American Peace Force has been able to reduce its presence in the former Zone to one U.S. Battalion and three Latin American companies.
Despite the generally quieter atmosphere, isolated incidents of shooting and other forms of violence continue to occur frequently in Santo Domingo. Significant improvement in police morale and effectiveness is needed, as are more vigorous measures to disarm the civilian population. The house-to-house search for arms conducted by civilian-military-police teams has produced very little. As a further effort toward disarmament, President Garcia Godoy on November 14 issued a decree offering monetary rewards for arms turned in voluntarily during the last half of this month. A graduated schedule of payments according to type and condition of weapons was established.
An improvement in the political climate was reflected by the last-minute decision of Communist elements—particularly the Dominican Popular Movement (MPD)—to cancel their call for a general strike scheduled to take place November 4. Ex-Presidents Bosch and Balaguer had come out against the strike, both issuing constructive statements urging support for the Provisional Government. Garcia Godoy followed up this small success by initiating a series of conferences with leaders of the non-Communist political parties in order to lay the groundwork for next yearʼs elections and as a means of reaching agreement on the pre-campaign political truce stipulated in the Institutional Act. During the consultations, and in recent statements to the press, Garcia Godoy reiterated his firm intention to hold elections within the nine-month period set by the Institutional Act. A further helpful political development occurred on November 13 when a group of prominent leaders, including Bosch and Balaguer, publicly subscribed to the terms of a “moral commitment” repudiating all acts of violence and calling for the suspension of demonstrations that might affect public tranquillity during the period of the political truce.
Unfortunately, several of the more important rightist political leaders refused to join in this commitment. Rightist plotting against the Provisional Government continues and we have reports of various schemes promoted by this sector to overthrow Garcia Godoy. However, success would depend on the cooperation of the Armed Forces [Page 344] and there are presently no indications that such cooperation would be forthcoming. Relations between the President and the military chiefs have improved substantially of late. Garcia Godoy has assured the chiefs that he will make no changes in the high command without consulting them, while they, for their part, have pledged support for the Provisional Government and respect for civilian authority. A further strengthening of these relations may be expected when Garcia Godoy makes the changes he has planned in his administration. He intends shortly to replace his Attorney General and Chief Information Officer, both of whom are rebel sympathizers of pronounced leftist tendencies. He has promised additional moves, including reorganization of the government-owned radio and television station, designed to bring the Provisional Government back toward the center of the political road.
The most critical problem at the moment results from the failure so far to make significant progress toward the reintegration of the Constitutionalist military into the regular Armed Forces. The concentration of rebel officers and men at the 27th of February Camp is a factor of continuing uncertainty and a threat to the process of stabilization. Reintegration has been stalled by the question of what to do with those ex-military men in Caamañoʼs forces who were not on active service as of April 24. We are pressing Garcia Godoy to make the necessary decisions and get on with reintegration.