339.115 General Motors Export Co./171: Telegram
The Minister in the Dominican Republic (Schoenfeld) to the Secretary of State
[Received 8:30 p.m.]
76. My telegram No. 71, May 20, 1 p.m.26 I called on President of the Dominican Republic this morning. Vice President and Dominican Minister to the United States were present. The President asked me to give him the substance of your conversation with the Dominican Minister to the United States on May 14 and I read to him in Spanish your telegram No. 25.27 After reading this telegram I said I had received last night another telegram from you and thereupon read him your number 28.28 The President asked me to interpret the significance of your number 28 and I said that I understood it to mean precisely what it said adding that the charges against Barletta were regarded as unfounded and that both the Secretary of State for the Presidency and the Minister of Foreign Affairs had agreed that the Dominican Government so considered them. The President said he had the friendliest feeling for Barletta but that he was amazed to learn members of his Government had stated that Barletta was innocent as determination of this matter was in the courts. I said I could not enter into a discussion along these lines and reiterated the substance of the statement in your No. 25 as to the international significance of the Dominican Government’s action in the Barletta case. I added that Italian Government had taken a definite position and that we felt that the most expeditious method deemed by the Dominican Government to be appropriate for withdrawing the charges was called for.
The President of the Republic asked me to advise him what matters my Legation had pending with the Foreign Office. I had prepared in advance a list of unanswered notes and handed it to him. The President had Brache translate it in his presence and assured me that he would give all pending matters personal attention.
[Page 504]He asked me to assure you that he had every disposition to satisfy the United States in every way; that aside from his personal esteem and affection for the United States and individual Americans he deemed it to be the duty of any President of the Dominican Republic in the interests of his own country to maintain the most cordial relations with the United States; and that in peace as in war the Dominican Republic under his Presidency would be always at the side of the United States. I thanked the President for these assurances and said I would convey them to you.
I then said there were the other matters of a more general nature which it seemed to me, would require the close attention of the Dominican Government in its relations with the United States and which had not up to the present time been satisfactorily disposed of. I said I would not go into details as to these matters in this conversation but I proceeded to mention in general terms retroactive application of article 89, of the constitution as amended affecting contracts of American companies with the Dominican Government providing for certain tax exemptions, difficulties of the American-owned electric company in collecting Government bills due to it and other difficulties; the Dominican Government’s action in having pledged future revenues in contracts contrary to article 3 of the convention; the question of the floating debt including sums due to American firms directly or indirectly. In this part of the conversation I also referred to the expulsion of Hans Schnabel, murder of Juan N. Miranda in 1933, the recent shooting and beating of the Legation’s messenger Caines and unspecified cases of apparently arbitrary arrest and detention of American citizens. The President again gave me his general assurance of satisfactory action and personal attention to such matters.
Returning to Barletta case, I understood the President to give me definite assurances that the charges would be withdrawn but as to the precise method for effecting this result he was not clear.
The President indicated clearly that Logroño would be removed as Minister of Foreign Affairs. I took pains to say that my relations with the present incumbency of that office had always been correct and that I should regret it if any statement of mine should motivate any action the President might take in re-forming his Cabinet. The President said that he desired me whenever I had any pending problem to feel free to come to see him and discuss it with him. I thanked the President for this suggestion which he has made before. I told him, however, that while I would be very glad to avail myself of his offer should occasion arise, I had heretofore felt and would probably in the future continue to feel that the accumulation of unfinished business between the Legation and the Foreign Office should not be permitted. I intimated that governmental arrangements which would [Page 505] insure the President’s personal knowledge of current business at the Foreign Office seemed to be internal matters of organization as to which I should not feel free to make any suggestion such as would be implied in my bringing current business to his attention by virtue of our friendly personal relations.
… I think we may anticipate a period of personal activity by the President in endeavoring to satisfy our requirements and perhaps even a temporary cessation of the wayward course recently followed affecting American and other foreign interests. … but the circumstances surrounding administration here uniformly confirm general knowledge that the President is not only officially responsible for all governmental action here but also personally active in directing and controlling many matters of minute detail.