Office of the Historian

328. Memorandum From Gordon Chase of the National Security Council Staff to the Presidentʼs Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)1

Washington, March 31, 1964.

SUBJECT

  • Haiti

I am still looking into the Haiti problem; as a starter, the following may be useful:

1.
About a month and a half ago the GOH asked for grant emergency support. They gave no particular figure.
2.

State and the Embassy have been wrestling since then with the problem of replying to the GOH. The essence of our position is that we want to say “no” on this particular request, but at the same time, we do not want to close the door completely on future requests. First, we may need Haitiʼs OAS vote on one thing or another. Second, we may have to kick in at some time in order to stay in Haiti. State (Tom Mann and Kennedy Crockett) feels that we should not lose contact with Duvalier again. Haiti is only fifty miles from Cuba. Also, Duvalier is a sick man, and could drop dead at any moment; and we want to be around if and when it happens.

One element in the equation is that Duvalier feels that if he could cut through the “bureaucratic nonsense” to President Johnson, he would get his money.

3.
Recently, State sent a memorandum to the White House requesting that the President concur in a negative response to Duvalierʼs request for aid. The President apparently wanted to remain flexible, and declined to tie himself on.2
4.

The last action document is Deptel 373 (attached),3 which tells Timmons to go ahead and talk to Duvalier. (Timmons may not be happy since he thinks Duvalier will balk at a “no” answer from anyone less than the President.)

Kennedy Crockett hopes that Timmons will be able to say “no” to Duvalier in such a way that we will not close off the possibility for future aid.

5.
I asked Kennedy Crockett to clear future Haiti traffic at the White House.

GC
  1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Haiti, Vol. II. Secret.↩
  2. See Document 327.↩
  3. Telegram 373 to Port-au-Prince, March 30, attached but not printed. Another copy of this telegram is in the National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Central Files 1964–67, AID (US) 9 HAITI.↩