Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume E–11, Part 1, Documents on Mexico; Central America; and the Caribbean, 1973–1976

346. Telegram 195 From the Embassy in the Dominican Republic to the Department of State¹

Santo Domingo, January 13, 1975, 1252Z.

195. Subject: Request of President Balaguer to (Ret.) Admiral Gerald Miller to Assess Dominican Security Requirements.

1. Retired Vice Admiral Gerald Miller (ex-COMSIXFLT), accompanied by Acting Chief MAAG, called on Chargé Jan 9, to brief him on his recent meetings with President Balaguer and Dominican military chiefs and his activities of the past few days resulting from these meetings. He gave following account.

2. During a meeting of Gulf & Western president Bluhdorn with President Balaguer, the President expressed concern with improving the capabilities of the country’s security forces. Bluhdorn told the President of his friendship with Admiral Miller (who retired about 4 months ago) and offered, if the President so desired, to arrange for Admiral Miller to see the President and provide some expert opinions on this matter. The President indicated an interest in having this done. Consequently, when, at Bluhdorn’s invitation, Admiral Miller recently came to La Romana for a vacation, Bluhdorn arranged for him to meet the President.

3. During this meeting, President Balaguer asked Admiral Miller whether he would undertake a brief assessment of the main requirements of the Dominican security forces. Admiral Miller agreed to do so on a purely personal basis. Thereupon the President called the military chiefs and instructed them to cooperate fully with Admiral Miller in this undertaking. In the next few days the Admiral visited a number of defense installations in various parts of the country and spoke to military and police leaders. He was given red carpet treatment.

4. In consequence of these visits and meetings, Admiral Miller concluded that the main deficiencies of the Dominican armed forces were in mobility and communications. The Dominicans were particularly concerned with internal threats and less with the possibility of external attack. Miller believed therefore that Dominican security capabilities could be substantially improved with the acquisition of some equipment items at moderate cost. More specifically, he thought that mobility requirements could be met by acquisition of UHID helicopters. Communications could be improved with some modernization of radio equipment. The Dominicans also needed a buoy tender and 120-foot patrol craft capable of operating in the choppy waters of the north coast (to replace 80-foot patrol craft now in the Dominican inventory). Some radar sites on the north coast would economize the use of the patrol craft. It would also be useful, for morale as well as security purposes, for the air force to acquire some more modern aircraft which could be economically maintained and operated. The A–37, whose capabilities had been proved in Vietnam, would be an appropriate such aircraft. Improvement and standardization of the rifles currently used by the Dominican military were also needed.

5. Admiral Miller told the Chargé that he was returning to Washington and planned to meet with Assistant Secretary for ISA Ellsworth week of Jan 13 to inform him of his activities here and his conclusions. He would prepare a memorandum setting forth his specific recommendations on items needed to improve Dominican security capabilities following coordination with ISA. The Chargé suggested that such recommendations also be coordinated with the State Department (Caribbean country director) before being sent to the Dominicans.

6. Admiral Miller stated that he wished to keep the Embassy fully informed of what he was doing in the Dominican Republic, even though he was acting in a purely private capacity. He had also kept MAAG informed. He emphasized that though he was a very good friend of Bluhdorn, he had absolutely no business connection with Gulf and Western. He had responded to Bluhdorn’s invitation and to President Balaguer’s request solely because of his professional interests acquired after long years of military service and because of the satisfaction he obtained from applying his experience usefully. He was receiving no compensation for what he was doing beyond payment of his expenses here. In reply to the Chargé’s query, Miller stated that he had avoided leaving any impression with the Dominicans that items he recommended could be furnished through MAP grant aid.

7. Comment: Bluhdorn’s initiative in arranging for President Balaguer to obtain Miller’s assessment of Dominican security needs (and perhaps implying the use of influence with USG to help obtain needed equipment) scores brownie points for G&W with President and Dominican military. At same time, President is taking advantage of opportunity to obtain recommendations from an independent military expert which he probably believes will be less self-serving than those coming from his own military and less influenced by concern with reduced MAP availabilities than those coming from MAAG. President may also find Miller enterprise useful in impressing on Dominican military his preoccupation with meeting their equipment requirements and utilizing every possible channel for obtaining increase in MAP to DR, thus mitigating frustrations of military at meagerness of funds made available to them for equipment.

8. Miller’s assessment of Dominican security requirements, as outlined to Chargé, seem generally consistent with those of MAAG. However despite his assurance that he had given no indication in contacts with Dominicans that items he recommended could be furnished through grant MAP, it is reasonable to suppose that he will seek to please both President and Bluhdorn by making sympathetic case at ISA for assisting Dominicans in obtaining recommended items. Moreover, [less than 1 line not declassified] subsequent to Chargé’s meeting with Miller that Balaguer asked military chiefs to provide Miller lists of their equipment needs. Impression [less than 1 line not declassified] is that Miller will use his influence in Washington to obtain DOD support for MAP provision of items on lists.

Hurwitch

1. Summary: The Embassy reported that Gulf and Western president Charles Bluhdorn had arranged for retired U.S. Admiral Gerald Miller to conduct a review of the Dominican Republic’s military needs for President Balaguer.

   Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D750012–0821. Secret; Stadis. All brackets are in the original except those indicating text that remains classified. According to telegram 268 from Santo Domingo, January 16, Hurwitch spoke with Bluhdorn about his role in securing military advice for the Dominican Government and warned him against involvement in sensitive matters that were properly the concern of the Embassy. (Ibid., D750017–0604) In telegram 315 from Santo Domingo, January 20, Hurwitch reported that he had spoken again with the Gulf and Western executive about this matter on January 19 and that he was “reasonably confident that a lesson has been learned and that Bluhdorn will be more careful in the future.” (Ibid., D750021–0617) In telegram 1284, March 24, Santo Domingo reported on Admiral Miller’s delivery of his report on the Dominican Republic’s military needs to Balaguer. (Ibid., D750102–0849)