Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume XXXII, Dominican Republic; Cuba; Haiti; Guyana

160. Memorandum From the Presidentʼs Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy) to President Johnson¹

Washington, February 19, 1966, 2 p.m.

SUBJECT

• Dominican Situation

Ellsworth Bunker says that the situation in the DR continues to improve. The strike is for all purposes over.

Garcia Godoyʼs success in breaking the strike seems to have given him new courage. In rapid succession he:

1. Warned extremists of the left and right that they face deportation if they continue their disruptive activities.

2. Issued decrees removing 91 provincial and municipal officials who are Bosch partisans. Twenty more changes are due today. Balaguer had complained that there was a serious political imbalance in governmental appointments which put him at a disadvantage in the electoral campaign. The changes are designed to redress the balance and improve the electoral climate.

3. Prepared a decree to be issued today prohibiting private security forces. This hits at some “constitutionalist” leaders, like Hector Aristy, who maintain a small army of personal body-guards. Ex-presidents are exempted to take care of Bosch, but their guards are to be regular policemen.

Ellsworth attributes the sudden change in Garcia Godoyʼs willingness to act like a President to the stern two and a half hour lecture he gave him last Wednesday² morning. Ellsworth thinks the three measures listed above are designed to soften up the military. By reassuring them that the left will be curbed, Garcia Godoy hopes to ease the task of persuading the Air Force and Army Chiefs to leave voluntarily. Only time will tell whether it works.

McG. B.

1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Dominican Republic, Vol. XIV, 1/66–4/66. Confidential. The President wrote “good” with his initial at the bottom of the memorandum.
2. Reference is to a meeting between Bunker and Garcia Godoy held the morning of February 16. In a February 16 memorandum Bowdler informed Bundy of this meeting which dealt with Godoyʼs February 15 decision to resign and Bunkerʼs efforts to convince him not to do “anything precipitous.” (Ibid.)