SITUATION IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (REPORT #189 - SUMMARY OF SITUATION FROM 9:00 PM - 5:00 AM EDT)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00472A001400030039-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 16, 2006
• Sequence Number: 39
• Publication Date: May 8, 1965
• Content Type: IM

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OCI No. 1653/65
DIA review(s) completed.
State Dept. review completed
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Office of Current Intelligence
8 May 1965
Situation in the Dominican Republic
(Report #189 Summary of Situation
from 9:00 pm - 5:00 AM EDT)
1. In an effort to regain the political initia-
tive, loyalist forces yesterday established a five-
man "Council of National Reconstruction" government
headed by Antonio Imbert Barrera. The US Embassy be-
lieves that the Council, which also includes former
junta leader Colonel Benoit and three respected
civilians, is about the best available group at the
moment and presents a reasonably good political
balance. The Council lacks, however, a representative
of former President Joaquin Balaguer, who remains a
major force in Dominican politics. Although an earlier
report indicated that a rebel delegation
had visited m er and accepted the arrangement, rebel
Radio Santo Domingo has since termed the Council as a
"shady deal" against the interests of the Dominican
people.
2. The Embassy has received reports that rebels
are moving into the countryside in an effort to stir
up unrest and rally support for Caamano. An uncon-
firmed report indicates that these purported rebel
movements are aimed at attempting to take over as
many provincial and municipal administrations as pos-
sible in an effort to weaken the anti-rebel forces'
argument that the rebels do not control the country-
side.
3. US officials in Santo Domingo have been told
by the Argentine Ambassador that Colonel Francisco
Ca:amano's wife and two children are still in asylum
in the Argentine Embassy. According to the Salvadoran
Charge, Mrs. Caamano sought asylum on April 25 at ap-
proximately the same time as Colonel Caamano first
took asylum. The Argentine Ambassador further stated
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-that- Colonel Caamano has been in secret and frequent
contact with his wife and has advised her, as late as
5 May, to remain where she was. The Argentine be-
lieves few if any on the rebel side are aware of Mrs.
Caamano's asylum, although news may soon get out.
Caamano's tactics in safeguarding his family may re-
flect the uncertainty-and fear shared by many on both
sides in this dangerous situation which could easily
take any direction.
4. The French news agency Agence France Press
says that Juan Bosch told a Cana -d ian reporter in
Puerto Rico that he is "a virtual prisoner of the
Americans" there. Bosch also is reported to have
said that the US action in the Dominican Republic was
comparable to the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956.
He further stated that the Dominican revolution, from
the first day on, was a revolution of the middle
classes, the people, and the younger officers against.
the corruption, tyranny, and oppression of the Trujillo
era; the US had intervened to show clearly to Latin
America how nationalist revolutions will be treated in
the future.
5. A local correspondent told the US Embassy in
Paris yesterday that he had heard anot'.er French offi-
cial say that according to French Foreign Minister
Couve de Murville, the French position on recognizing
the Caamano regime had been erroneously reported. The
real position, Couve is alleged to have said, is that
formal French recognition of the new government is not
involved at all, since "France recognizes countries,
not regimes." Therefore, according to this report,
France was planning to take no action at all. The
correspondent added, however, that other l'renc:ri gov-
ernment sources were less positive about France taking
no action. These sources had told him that De Gaulle
had just received a letter from Caamano's "foreign
minister," and he was planning to answer it. The re-
sponse, while it would contain no formal or implied
act of recognition, would in effect constitute de facto
recognition.
6. US Ambassador Dungan reports from Chile that
Ambassador Harriman had an extremely cordial two and
one-half hour meeting with President Frei and Foreign
Minister Valdes on the subject of the Dominican crisis.
The US participants were left with the feeling that
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Frei was genuinely anxious to be of assistance in the
Dominican situation. The Chilean president also ex-
pressed understanding of the US position on the matter
and fervently expressed the hope that President Johnson
would understand his position as the chief executive
of a smaller country with a set of problems all its own?
During the meeting, Frei assured his listeners that
Chile is not about to recognize the Caamano regime.
He underscored his own lack of knowledge about Carib-
bean affairs and specifically about Caamano and his
"government." Chile's interest, he said, was simply
in seeing a "reasonably" civil and "reasonably" repre-
sentative provisional government take over in the
Dominican Republic until free elections could be held.
Meanwhile, Caamano's "special representative" arrived
in the Chilean capital yesterday to seek Chile's
quick recognition of the rebel regime, and the Frei
government's ambassador to the Organization of American
States has been asked to go to Santo Domingo to prepare
an on-the-spot report of the situation for his govern-
ment
7. Brazilian President Castello Branco, accord-
ing to the US Embassy in Rio de Janeiro, is firmly
determined to go ahead with the contribution of a
600- to 900-man Brazilian force to the inter-American
Armed Force despite any possible outcry by local left-
ists or ultranationalists. He does not anticipate dif-
ficulty in getting the Brazilian congress to approve
the project. Castello Branco's present thinking is
that the Brazilian contingent will include an infantry
battalion and a company of marines, The Brazilian
president is also reported to have expressed to the US
Army Attache his extreme irritation at the reported
disapproval of French General De Gaulle to the US action
in the Dominican crisis, adding that, he thought
De Gaulle must be getting senile.
8. The anti-American demonstration scheduled
to take place last evening near the US Embassy in La
Paz, Bolivia, fizzled out--basically as the result
of effective police work and some inclement weather.
A mob estimated as containing some 300 persons was
quickly and efficiently dispersed by police as
demonstrators approached within a block of the em-
bassy building. Efforts of the demonstrators to form
small groups and attack the embassy simultaneously
from all sides also failed, thanks to the police,
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and this efficiency plus the cold drizzle that began
falling dampened the enthusiasm of the demonstrators
and they withdrew.
9. Guatemala is thinking in terms of contributing
one rifle company of troops to a four-company battalion
of Central American forces as the area's contingent
for the Inter-American Armed Force, according to the
US Embassy in Guatemala City, How this would fit in
with the thinking of the other Central American gov-
ernments was not yet clear at 7:50 pm EDT when the
embassy cabled its report, The Rivera government in
El Salvador also indicated to our embassy during the
evening that despite earlier indications that it would
not be able to participate, it now intends to partici-
pate with a "unit"--presumably a military contingent--
being sent to the Dominican Republic.
10, Students in Mexico City reportedly are plan-
ning to hold meetings this morning at the National
Autonomous University and, the National Polytechnic
Institute in that city. The meetings are believed to
be preparatory meetings to plan and organize public
demonstrations for a later date against the US policy
concerning the Dominican Republic. The students, in
accordance with local laws, have requested permission
to hold one such public demonstration on 11 May.
11. Colonel Benoit has complained to the Organiza-
tion of American States Commission about broadcasts by
rebel Radio Santo Domingo and especially about taped
statements by Juan Bosch. Benoit declared that the
Caamano group was not observing the psychological cease-
fire and warned that if the Commission did not do some-
thing about the inflammatory rebel announcements, he
will not be responsible for what his forces might do
to stop rebel radio broadcasting. Secretary General
Mora of the Organization of American States (OAS) asked
Colonel Benoit whether he would be willing to allow
the OAS to take over his radio facilities if the Com-
mission decided to place all broadcasting under its
control. Benoit replied he personally was prepared to do
this but wished to consult his colleagues, The Argentine
and Brazilian military advisers also expressed their con-
cern that if psychological warfare conducted by Radio
Santo Domingo goes unchecked, the military cease-fire
will be undermined. Following the meeting Secretary Gen-
eral Mora took the US liaison officer aside and asked if
the US government could not do something to stop Bosch
from taping inflammatory statements inciting the Domini-
can people to violence,
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