Papers relating to the foreign relations of the United States, 1930, Volume II

839.00 Revolutions/48

The Minister in the Dominican Republic (Curtis) to the Acting Secretary of State

Santo Domingo, March 1, 1930.
[Received March 12.]

No. 22

Sir: I have the honor to refer to my telegram No. 11 of February 24—8 A.M. and to later telegraphic reports concerning the events connected with the revolutionary movement in the Dominican Republic and to report somewhat more extensively, though still inadequately.

The Legation first learned that a revolution had actually broken out when the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Peynado, called at the Legation before six o’clock on the morning of February 24 and asked for asylum for President Vasquez and his wife and Vice President Alfonseca; Dr. Peynado said that a revolution had broken out in Santiago de los Caballeros and that twenty-five automobiles full of armed men would arrive within twenty minutes. He insisted that the lives of President and Mrs. Vasquez and of Dr. Alfonseca were in real danger and I consented to give them asylum, but I also urged that I found it difficult to think that there was any danger to the lives of the President and his wife and that it was most desirable that the President should either remain in the Presidential Mansion or take refuge in the fort.

At 7 A.M. the President, his wife, the Vice President, more than half the members of his Cabinet, the Presidents of the Senate and Chamber, and a score of others came to the Legation. In the meantime, I had telephoned to General Trujillo in the fort and had once again received his assurance that he was entirely loyal to the President; when, therefore, the President spoke to me of my recommendation that he go to the fort, I assured him that he could depend on the loyalty of General Trujillo. After discussing the matter further with his companions, President Vasquez left the Legation, followed by all the rest of his party except Mrs. Vasquez,—who spent each night and a smaller or greater part of each day in the Legation until the morning of February 28.

After Mr. Cabot had made a brief visit to the fort in quest of the latest information, I went there with him and sought to ascertain whether the President was prepared to yield to any of the demands mentioned by Mr. Rafael Estrella Ureña and others in Santiago when Mr. Cabot was there on the evening of February 22. While a consultation was being held on this subject, I talked with General Trujillo, who again assured me of his loyalty to the President, and with Dr. Alfonseca, who said that he was prepared to resign the Vice Presidency at once, without awaiting for the revolutionists to formulate a definite demand for it. It was finally agreed that the Vice President would resign, that the Government would get the Congress to pass a law annulling all the amendments to the Electoral Law of 1924, and that the question of the withdrawal of President Vasquez’ candidacy for reelection would be taken under consideration.

Mr. Cabot left at 10:30 for Santiago for the purpose of seeing the leaders of the revolution. At kilometer 34, he found some Government troops and at kilometer 37 a force of revolutionists; from the latter, he learned that Rafael Estrella Ureña was the Supreme Chief of the Revolution; that he was in Santiago and that the military leaders with this force had no authority to consider any political question. Mr. Cabot arranged an armistice between the Government and revolutionary forces and, the lines not yet being cut, telephoned a report to the Legation and obtained my consent that he should proceed to Santiago. After arriving in that city at about 2:30, Mr. Cabot succeeded in seeing Mr. Estrella Ureña and later Gen. Desiderio Arias, but he could obtain no definite statements from them, beyond a promise that they would hold a conference of all the leaders the following morning.

At the Legation nothing of special interest to the Department took place until somewhat late in the evening, although the stream of visitors was practically continuous.

At about 10:30 P.M. Secretary Moya telephoned that the revolutionists were advancing on the city, notwithstanding the agreement made with Mr. Cabot, and that President and Mrs. Vasquez desired to take asylum in the Legation. I said that I would gladly receive Mrs. Vasquez but I persuaded the President that it was to his own best interest to go to the fort rather than to a foreign legation. A little later, I telephoned to General Trujillo and was informed by him that the Government troops had been outflanked and partly surrounded by the much more numerous revolutionary forces and that the latter were advancing as stated above.

When, at six o’clock on the morning of the 25th, no indication had been received of the entry of the revolutionists into the city, I decided to drive out in the direction of their former position. I found the Government forces at kilometer 19 and had a short conversation with their commander, Col. Alfonseca (a distant relative of the Vice President but not known to have any political connection with him). Col. Alfonseca showed me a note signed by Generals José Estrella and Antonio Jorge, stating that they had agreed with Mr. Cabot not to advance or make any attack until Mr. Cabot’s return from Santiago and he stated that they had kept this agreement scrupulously.

Various facts concerning the army and its higher officers became known to the Legation at about this time:

General Trujillo, in spite of all the promises he made to my predecessor, was disloyal to President Vasquez from the first moment after his return to the country on January 6. Probably in December, he stripped the fort in Santo Domingo City of practically all spare arms and shipped these arms to the fort in Santiago. He most certainly was in league with the revolutionists from the very beginning and never severed his connection with them. Col Simon Díaz, the commander of the fort at Santiago, planned to permit the seizure of this fort on the evening of February 8 but, owing to the fact that I happened to spend that evening and night in Santiago, this seizure was postponed; the reasons leading up to Col. Díaz’ disloyalty have been reported briefly in despatch No. 21 of February 23, 1930;⁸ he was, however, in the City of Santo Domingo at the moment of the seizure of the fort of Santiago. Colonel Alfonseca was placed in command of the troops sent out to prevent the entry of the revolutionists into the capital because President Vasquez insisted that the command be given to him, not at all because General Trujillo desired to give him the command; on the afternoon of the day whose events are now being described, General Trujillo recalled Colonel Alfonseca and placed Col. Díaz in command of this force,—which at least relieved the Legation of any anxiety concerning the possibility of bloodshed between the Government and revolutionary forces.

General Trujillo remained throughout all the period of the revolution the commander of the fort at Santo Domingo, which he held in the name of the Government and to which he did not permit the entry of any revolutionists; he thus kept the letter of the promises which he had repeatedly made to Minister Young and to me, but it is clear that he communicated with the revolutionists constantly.

It is safe to say that if Gen. Trujillo had been truly loyal to the Government, the revolution could not have succeeded,—would probably not have broken out; the quantity of arms in the fort of Santiago would hardly have been worth seizing and certainly the revolutionists would not have had more arms than the Government.

Almost immediately after my return to the Legation, Secretary Moya telephoned that the President was coming to see me, and he arrived a few minutes later. The President was extremely angry concerning the now quite obvious treason of Gen. Trujillo, with whom he had this night found Gen. Luís Felipe Vidal, one of the President’s most bitter personal enemies; he declared that, with the Army unfaithful to him, he could not hope to accomplish anything but was resigning immediately. I strongly urged the President not to take this precipitate action, pointing out to him that, in the present circumstances, this meant the end of any constitutional Government here and probably the outbreak of serious disorders; he was, however, so extremely excited that I could not be certain that he had heard me, though I saw that I had made some impression upon his principal advisers. After an hour and a half of fruitless discussion, the President and his friends left the Legation.

I had not yet been able to sit down to breakfast when Dr. Peynado came from the Presidential Mansion to inform me that General Vasquez had been so impressed by my arguments that he had decided not to resign.

I have related the foregoing incident in some detail in order that the Department may appreciate to some extent the difficulty which the Legation has had to prevent President Vasquez from acting on some sudden impulse and in order that it may understand how much time the Legation had to devote to such matters.

At about five o’clock in the afternoon, Secretary Moya came to the Legation and stated that he had trustworthy information to the effect that the revolutionary troops intended to enter the city during the night, in violation of the promises made to Mr. Cabot. I immediately sent Consul Clark to see Gen. José Estrella and the other commanders of the revolutionary forces and at eight o’clock he returned, Mr. Cabot arriving at almost the same moment.

Mr. Cabot had spent the morning in gathering such information as he could obtain and in trying to hasten the meeting of the revolutionary leaders, which latter took place at about eleven o’clock (a list of those who attended this meeting is transmitted herewith).⁹ In the afternoon he had had a long conversation with Rafael Estrella Ureña and Elias Brache, in the course of which he had obtained from them a statement of the demands of the revolution and had obtained some modification of them, so that there might be a possibility of an agreement with the Government being reached. He had then left for the capital but, when he reached the revolutionary forces at kilometer 37, found that preparations were being made for an advance upon the city. He therefore sought out the military leaders, with whom he found Consul Clark, and obtained from them, though not without some difficulty, a renewal of their promise not to advance, this promise to remain in force until word to the contrary should be received from Rafael Estrella Ureña.

At half past nine Vice President Alfonseca and Secretary Moya came to the Legation, where Mr. Cabot explained to them the demands of the revolutionary leaders. After an hour’s conversation, they declared that these demands were such that an agreement seemed probable and they left with the promise that they would discuss the matter with the President at once and inform the Legation at the earliest possible moment. Mr. Cabot left at once for the revolutionary lines in order to get this information transmitted to Estrella Ureña and a radio message was also sent.

At about 1:30 A.M. on the 26th, Mr. Cabot reported that he had been unable to find any revolutionary [forces?] in the neighborhood of their former lines and that he had no doubt that the revolutionary forces were on their way to enter the city. As this constituted a violation of the promises made by the revolutionary generals, I immediately telephoned this information to Secretary Moya.

At 5 A.M. a number of shots and one short but sharp fusillade were heard and Mr. Cabot arrived at the Legation from his home about half an hour later. He soon left again in search of Gen. José Estrella, whom he brought to the Legation at about seven o’clock.

Gen. Estrella was asked the reason for his violation of his promise and explained that the Government forces had advanced at a certain point and had captured some of his men who were taking up a position; as Col. Días was the Government commander, it was clear that whatever had taken place had been due to collusion, and Gen. Estrella was informed that his explanation was not at all satisfactory. At the same time, assurances were obtained that American lives and property would be respected.

At eight o’clock, the President, accompanied by the Vice President and by Secretary Moya, came to the Legation and said that the proposals of the revolutionary leaders were on the whole satisfactory.

At nine o’clock I attended a conference between the President and Gen. Estrella at the Presidential Mansion. The general promised to maintain order in the city and to open the valves controlling the city’s water supply and he guaranteed that no attack would be made on the Presidential Mansion and the small guard always maintained there.

The rest of this day was spent in talks with many people, including the British Chargé d’Affaires (twice), Federico Velázquez H., Secretary Moya and others, and in endeavoring to get into communication with Rafael Estrella Ureña.

At 7:45, Mr. Cabot started out, in accordance with a message which had been received, for the purpose of meeting Estrella Ureña at Villa Altagracia (kilometer 45) and of getting him to hasten his arrival in this city. Mr. Cabot met him at about kilometer 33 and drove with him for some ten kilometers in the direction of the city and obtained his promise that he would come to the Legation in the course of the evening for a preliminary conference; but as Mr. Estrella Ureña failed to come to the Legation before 11:30, Mr. Cabot went in search of him in the city and agreed with him that he would come to the Legation at eight o’clock on the following morning.

On the morning of February 27th (Dominican Independence Day), Estrella Ureña and Brache came to the Legation and initiated the long series of conversations which finally resulted in an agreement between the Government and the revolutionaries. I handed to these leaders a written summary of the proposals brought by Mr. Cabot from Santiago, as accepted by the Government, and inquired whether, in accordance with my understanding, this was a satisfactory basis upon which to negotiate. They informed me that they would have to consult the other revolutionary leaders, and would let me know as soon as possible. I expressed my displeasure at the failure of the revolutionary leaders to observe their promise not to enter the city without further orders, and Estrella Ureña said that he had already censured his generals severely. I also requested that permission be granted for Congress to meet that day, in accordance with the Constitution; but this was categorically refused.

Mr. Bickers¹⁰ having come from Puerto Plata with a written truce which he had arranged between the leaders in that city, I obtained orders from both parties that this truce be observed.

A meeting was arranged between Trujillo and Estrella Ureña, in order that the military dispositions necessary to preserve order in the city, and to prevent a clash, might be discussed. Estrella Ureña having threatened to attack the Presidential Mansion, Mr. Cabot under my instructions warned him against such action, and received positive assurances that he would order no such attack.

Upon calling at the Mansion somewhat later, I was greatly surprised to hear that the President had sent his resignation to Congress, and had signed a decree naming Angel Morales Secretary of State for Interior. I convinced the President that a chaotic situation would follow such action, and persuaded him to withdraw both resignation and decree; but inasmuch as the news had already been given to the press, the difficulties of the situation were by no means decreased.

Shortly thereafter Estrella Ureña came to the Legation and said that the revolutionaries had authorized him to negotiate an agreement on the basis which had already been proposed. The President arriving a few minutes later, a most cordial interview ensued, but no definite conclusions were reached.

Arriving somewhat early for a second interview with the President in the Legation, Estrella Ureña inquired respecting the Legation’s attitude towards Trujillo, and was informed that the Legation would under no circumstances recommend the recognition of a Government headed by him. The President upon his arrival announced the Government’s acceptance of the proposals for a settlement, and then had a private conference with Estrella Ureña, at which, I later discovered, the question of the nomination of the latter as Acting President was discussed.

The conversations thus initiated were continued during that evening and the next two days. The strain of the revolution had produced a serious turn for the worse in the President’s condition, so the interviews were held in the Mansion. The President’s vacillations, and the byplay of politics caused repeated changes in the course of the negotiations; but a preliminary agreement was reached on February 28th and a final one on March 2nd. The preliminary agreement provided that the President should depart for Porto Rico, in accordance with the advice of his physicians, on March 4th, and that he should present his resignation some days later; but when after repeated vacillations he asserted that, while ready to resign at any time, he would not go to Porto Rico, it was deemed better that he should resign at once, and this understanding was incorporated in the final agreement. This move appeared advisable for the further reason that the country would remain in unrest until the President’s resignation was announced; and Estrella Ureña had already complained of the tendentious manner in which the preliminary agreement had been given to the country.

In accordance with the final agreement, Estrella Ureña was appointed Secretary of State for Interior on February 28th, and on March 2nd the President’s and Vice President’s resignations were accepted by the Congress. The following day Estrella Ureña, in strict accordance with the constitution and the laws, was inaugurated as President of the Dominican Republic.

The other provisions of the agreement, as finally worked out, are as follows:

1. The congress shall immediately reenact the Electoral Law of 1924.

2. The new President shall appoint a cabinet of outstanding men representative of all parties.

3. All arms shall be surrendered to the new Government.

4. There shall be no restrictions as to candidates, except that neither Alfonseca nor Trujillo shall run.

5. The Congress shall pass no law except upon the recommendation of the new President based upon the advice of the Cabinet.

6. Both parties will keep the peace and respect the results of the elections.

7. All of the legal and constitutional forms shall be complied with.

8. All of the acts of the revolution will be legalized in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 9.

In accordance with the provisions of 2, the new President has tentatively picked the following cabinet:

Interior:	Antonio Alfau (National Party)
Presidency:	Jafet Hernández (Republican)
Foreign Relations:	Elias Brache (Coalition)
Finance:	Martin de Moya (National Party)
Justice:	Agustin Acevedo (Progressive)
National Defense:	Antonio Jorge (Liberal)
Public Works:	Antonio Mota (National Party)
Agriculture:	Leo Ricart (National Party)
Health and Charity:	Dr. Teófilo Hernández (Nationalist)

The composition of this cabinet will be considered in a later report.

Of the two principal causes of the revolution, one was basic, the other immediate. The basic cause was the economic depression now existing in this country; the immediate, the knowledge that the National Army would tacitly assist the revolutionaries.

To these two principal causes a variety of others lent weight and substance. Dr. Alfonseca and his lieutenants had thoroughly alienated the better section of public opinion by their disreputable politics. The country has always opposed the reelection of its chief magistrates, and saw itself gagged and bound to the acceptance of some years more of the Vasquez regime, to be followed by Alfonseca, on account of a grossly unfair electoral law. The country’s finances were in a deplorable state, due to maladministration. Peculation on the part of Government officials was rife. Trujillo had been repeatedly treated in a most cavalier fashion by the Government (see the Perez-Petit case, despatch No. 1563, January 13, 1930).¹¹ Finally, personal ambitions and the country-wide unrest which ever follows periods of tranquillity here played their part.

That the revolution was unjustified is demonstrated by the pronounced success which had attended the Legation’s efforts to obtain adequate guarantees of a fair election, through which the great majority of the abuses cited above could have been better rectified. Unfortunately, this success came too late, and only after Estrella Ureña and Trujillo were already in full accord to undertake a revolution.

The probable eventual results of the revolution will be the subject of an attempted analysis in a later report.

It is believed that the Department and the Legation may view with satisfaction the following points respecting the revolution:

1. No injury was done to American lives, property, or interests.

2. There was virtually no bloodshed or property loss.

3. In the ultimate solution, all legal and constitutional forms were strictly and willingly complied with on both sides.

4. The ultimate solution was reached as a result of a negotiated agreement.

5. Trujillo was blocked in his plan to become Acting President. He may, however, attempt to run for President in the elections, in spite of the terms of the agreement.

6. Friendship for the United States in this country has increased rather than decreased as a result of the revolution. Not only did the United States indulge in no action distasteful to this Republic, but the services of the Legation in preventing bloodshed and acting as mediator in the negotiations have received signal recognition, and the leaders on both sides have expressed their deep appreciation.

On the other hand, two facts are to be deplored:

1. That a revolution ever broke out.

2. That the leader of the revolution should have become President.

The Legation did not object to the latter only because the President and his advisers said that Estrella Ureña was the only man capable of reestablishing peace in the country, and because all legal provisions were complied with.

I have [etc.]

C. B. Curtis

8. Not printed.
9. Not printed.
10. William A. Bickers, Consul at Puerto Plata.
11. Not printed.