Office of the Historian

191. Memorandum for the Record1

Washington, April 7, 1967.

SUBJECT

  • Minutes of the Meeting of the 303 Committee, 7 April 1967

PRESENT

  • Mr. Rostow, Ambassador Kohler, Mr. Vance, and Admiral Taylor
  • General Ralph D. Steakley was present for Item 1
  • Mr. William Broe was present for Item 2

[Omitted here is discussion of a DOD proposal.]

2. Dominican Republic

a.
The committee reviewed the proposal to support the student elections at the Autonomous University in Santo Domingo in some detail.2 The paper had been put off until such time as the committee could hear Mr. Vanceʼs objections. He emphasized that he still felt that there was too high a risk for too little gain. He said that the maximum achievement would be remote in impact; that in his experience, most covert activity in the Dominican Republic eventually surfaced; that Balaguer, unwitting, would be exercised if he learned of the subsidy; and the USA would have another black eye if the project were ever blown.3
b.
Ambassador Kohler noted that he had not been an enthusiast but had been persuaded in talks with Messrs. Gordon and Sayre that there was considerable merit in the proposal. They felt this was one way of starting to build an asset which could be an alternative to Bosch.
c.
Mr. Broe pointed out that previous guidance had urged the building of a constructive opposition, and this proposal was one concrete step within the realm of the possible.
d.
Mr. Rostow felt that the central problem, of course, was building a party system, and in that way polarization might be averted. A responsible opposition could head off the communists. He felt that what was lacking was a total U.S. plan of which this proposal might be only one step. He urged that Ambassador Crimmins come to Washington for discussions with Assistant Secretary Lincoln Gordon and others concerning an overall approach.
e.
Mr. Broe indicated this was only a start. If this small election was secured, the first step would have been undertaken.
f.
In summary, the committee rejected the proposal4 as a separate effort, recommended a more broadly based program in which this project might be a part, and endorsed the suggestion that Ambassador Crimmins visit Washington in the near future to explore a comprehensive political action program.

[Omitted here is discussion on Cuba, Guyana, and Vietnam.]

Peter Jessup
  1. Source: National Security Council, Special Group/303 Committee Files, Minutes of 303 Committee, April 7, 1967. Secret; Eyes Only. Drafted on April 10. Copies were sent to Kohler, Vance, and Helms.↩
  2. See Document 190.↩
  3. In a March 29 memorandum to Gordon and Sayre, INR Deputy Director for Coordination James Gardner summarized Vanceʼs objections to the proposal presented in Document 190 and added that Vance also objected because the “U.S. had gone to considerable effort and expense to build up Balaguer” and it would now be inconsistent to build up potential opposition to him. (Department of State, INR/IL Historical Files, Dominican Republic 1967).↩
  4. The 303 Committee subsequently reversed its objection to the proposal; see Document 200.↩