341. Memorandum of Conversation1
SUBJECT
- Dominican Republic: President’s Conversation with Dominican Foreign Minister
PARTICIPANTS
- For the United States:
- The President
- Assistant Secretary Edwin Martin, ARA
- For the Dominican Republic:
- Secretary of Foreign Affairs Bonilla Atiles
- Also present:
- Mr. Francisco Aguiere
In reply to a question by the President as to what the prospects were for elections, Dr. Bonilla replied that at present the situation was confused. He said that he would like the OAS Election Committee to help draft an election law and prepare election procedures. He said that under present conditions the success of elections was questionable. Dr. Bonilla said that he would prefer that elections be held after the Government had made progress in reducing unemployment, improving economic conditions, and in providing housing for peasants under the “Techo, piso y letrina” program.
The President said that he was aware that the present time might be a difficult one for election purposes.
Dr. Bonilla said that the Unión Cívica had originally sought a two-year period before holding elections, but that Balaguer had set the one-year period. He said that the Government’s hope was to be able to set up local municipal elections prior to national elections. The work of the Peace Corps would be very useful in preparing for municipal elections.
The President inquired about the work of the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic. Dr. Bonilla praised Mr. Hernendez, Director of the Corps in his country, and said that Mr. Hernendez had picked fifteen young Dominicans to study municipal government at the University of Puerto Rico.
The President said that he was interested in seeing that the sugar money should reach the Dominican people, and that the United States was willing to have it reach them through the aid program. He realized the problem of the suit brought by the South Puerto Rican Sugar Company.
[Page 702]Dr. Bonilla said that this was more a political than a technical problem for his Government, which was only interested in getting the money as soon as possible. This was important in view of Communist pressure concerning this matter. He said that any solution put forward by the United States Government would be satisfactory.
The President said that if it were said that the money would go to the company, it would mean that $7 million would not reach the Dominican people. He said that the Dominican problem would seem to be met if the United States made this money available to the Dominican people.
Dr. Bonilla said that the Government could exert pressure on the company to prevent this money from being distributed among its stockholders and to have it go to the Dominican people instead. They were under pressure from the Communists to see that this was done promptly.
The President said that the United States, together with the other Governments of the Hemisphere, had taken measures against the previous Dominican Government of its own volition. He said that the United States Government was under no compulsion to pay the subsidy, and had no reason to apologize to the Communists for its stand.
Dr. Bonilla said that in referring to Communist pressure, he had meant that his Government wanted to use the money for the benefit of the people, to improve their standard of living and to reduce unemployment, in order to deprive the Communists of issues they could exploit.
Dr. Bonilla said that with regard to elections, a satisfactory outcome for democracy was in doubt at the present time, in view of emotional pressures on the people and of the need for providing more employment and housing. He said that the outlook for democracy would be brighter if the people had an opportunity to see achievements by the Government before they went to the polls. He said that in any case, he did not want to have in his country anything like what had taken place in Argentina.2 Dr. Bonilla said that his Government’s project was to have elections to local and municipal offices before the Presidential elections, in order to have the people accustomed to casting votes.
The President asked if the people would be opposed to a postponement of Presidential elections, and Dr. Bonilla replied in the negative, adding that this postponement had been requested by the political parties themselves.
The President inquired as to the position of the 14th of June Movement, and Dr. Bonilla replied that it was in open opposition to the Government and was following a Castro line, and that its leaders were pro-Castro.
- Source: Department of State, Presidential Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 66 D 149. Confidential. Drafted by Donald F. Barnes (LS) and approved by the White House on April 16. The meeting was held at the White House.↩
- On March 29 the Argentine military replaced the government of President Arturo Frondizi with one led by Senate President Jose M. Guido. See Documents 179 ff.↩