As Continuismo, Sought Illegal Re-Election, Dissatisfied Army
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Caribhean and Country Relations 288 Relations with the Island Republics of the Caribbean 289 as continuismo, sought illegal re-election, dissatisfied army officers and politi_ convened in Santiago, Chile, in July, 1959, ostensibly to examine the turbulent cians rose in revolt. Out of the melee emerged a new president of the Caribbean situation of chronic intervention, but more particularly to find republic, General Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina, head of the American_ means to overthrow the dictators, the number one culprit being Rafael Trujillo. trained constabulary.52 That was in 1930. It marked the beginning of the Cuba and Venezuela were particularly insistent on collective action, and did "era of Trujillo," which was to continue until 1961, one of the longest and 53 not think that the principle of nonintervention should block the way to the most oppressive of all Latin-American tyrannies. use of forcible sanctions. Secretary of State Christian Herter, however, Despite the general absence of democratic practices and individual liberty, while deploring the absence of representative democracy and respect for which after all are the internal concerns of a country, the period of Trujillo's human rights in the Dominican Republic, opposed any action that smacked ascendancy was generally devoid of serious problems or spectacular occur of interference in Dominican internal affairs. Since he feared that the over rences in his relations with the United States. In fact, the political and throw of Trujillo would more likely promote chaos and disorder in the economic stability which Trujillo maintained in his country evoked admiration republic than democracy, and possibly open the door to Communist penetra and praise from many quarters in the United States, as did his uncompromising tion, he chose to defend the principle of nonintervention. Regarding their stand, first against Fascism, and then against Communism at home and Isacred principle as more important than the overthrow of dictators, the abroad. One of the most consistent supporters of the United States, in World majority of the delegations satisfied themselves with only a general condemna War II, the OAS, and the UN, was Generalisimo Rafael Trujillo. By virtue· tion of dictatorships in principle.55 of these facts it would have been both illogical and unneutral for the United Despite the implied condemnation of the Trujillo regime, the Santiago I States to oppose the dictatorship. bteeting brought no improvement in the internal or external behavior of the Even before Pearl Harbor, Trujillo entered into an agreement, in 1940,' .Dominican government and hence no diminution in Caribbean tensions. On putting harbor and other port facilities at the disposal of the United States the contrary, the area became more turbulent, chiefly because of the obnoxious for use by its patrol ships. Immediately after the Pearl Harbor attack the i'conduct of both Cuba and the Dominican Republic. During 1960 inter Dominican Republic was one of the earliest of the Latin-American countries ('American attention focused more sharply on the Dominican Republic than to declare war on the Axis Powers. This was followed by the grant to the. on Cuba, since the Communist character that the Castro government was United States of base rights near the Bay of Samami. ! :'koon to acquire was not yet so apparent, at least to the Latin Americans, most After the war, Trujillo was equally cooperative in supporting the United 'bf whom still regarded Castro as a great social and economic reformer. While States in the cold war against international Communism. The Dominican the suppression of human rights within the Dominican Republic itself caused Republic was one of the twelve Latin-American countries which entered into 'orne revulsion on the part of the inter-American community, it was not until military assistance agreements with the United States stemming from the Rio q'rujillo engaged in aggressive actions (i.e., intervened) against neighboring treaty. Finally, the United States was granted the privilege of establishing a ttates, principally Venezuela, that the OAS enforcement machinery was set missile tracking station in the territory of the republic. r i,in motion. dictatorship~ Because of the tenacity and harsh effectiveness of the Trujillo ~: Upon the presentation of incontestable evidence of the complicity of the Generalisimo became the chief target of anti-dictatorship propagandal t>ominican officials in an assassination attempt against Venezuelan President campaigns organized in neighboring republics. Trujillo counterattacked ocelli .. R.6mulo Betancourt in June, 1960, another Meeting of the Foreign Ministers sionally with the collaboration of brother dictators, notably Somoza of was held at San Jose, Costa Rica, August 16-21. Although the United States Nicaragua. Words often resolved into action, and thus were created a numbet favored the adoption of mild measures, such as OAS supervision of free of incidents disturbing to the peace of the Caribbean. Disputes with Cuba iii Dominican elections, the majority of the Latin delegations pressed for sanc 1948, and with Haiti in 1949 and 1950, brought about OAS peace-rnakin: tions strong enough to overthrow Trujillo. activities in which the United States, of course, was a party. 54 ti In the hope that its Latin-American neighbors would reciprocate by The peace-making tasks of the OAS became more difficult after Fidel CastrQ': sUpporting the vigorous measures which the United States intended to propose put his oar in the muddy waters. A Meeting of the Foreign Ministers was! against Castro Cuba in the next Meeting of the Foreign Ministers, scheduled i for the following week, the United States abandoned Trujillo and supported a 52 Marvin Goldwert, The Constabulary in the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.: Latin American Monograph Series, No. 17 (Gainesville: University of Florida PresS,' resolution which called upon all members of the OAS to sever diplomatic 1962),5-21. relations and suspend trade in arms and munitions with the Dominican 53 See Albert E. Hicks, Blood in tlte Streets; the Life and Rille of Trujillo (Ne government. Immediately thereafter the United States broke off diplomatic York, 1946), for a luri~ .description of the dictatorship. For an opposite view, s· . Stanley Walker, .GenerallSlmo Doctor Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina (New York. relations with the Dominican Republic and imposed the other sanctions men The Caribbean LIbrary of New York, 1956). r, tioned in the OAS resolution. 54 See Mecham, op. cit., Chap. XIII. 55lbid.• 418. A SURVEY OF Untted States ~ Latin American Relations J. LLOYD MECHAM Professor Emeritus of Government The University of Texas HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY Boston' New York' Atlanta' Geneva, Ill. Dallas' Palo Alto .