331. Memorandum From Robert M. Sayre of the National Security Council Staff to the Presidentʼs Special Assistant for National Security Affairs (Bundy)1
SUBJECT
- Exile Incursion into Haiti
Duvalier finally announced publicly July 8 that Haitian exiles had invaded Haiti. The announcement insisted that the Haitian armed forces were mopping up the invaders.
CIA informs me that 28 Haitian exiles did enter Haiti on the south COAS t, each armed with an M–1 rifle and about 1000 rounds of ammunition. They went into the mountains. The area in which they are operating is some of the best guerrilla territory in the world—mountainous, lots of caves, foliage, and fruit. Duvalier did send forces into the area but these forces got a bloody nose in their first encounter. They are now patrolling about 10 miles away from the area in which the exiles are located. Government forces are scared to go after the exiles.
Duvalier has considered such schemes as sending 75mm guns (mortar ammunition did not detonate); burning the villages in the area; sending the peasants in the area ahead of the soldiers in hopes the guerrillas would fire at the peasants and identify their positions, etc.
[Page 775]Duvalier has begun a general round-up of all relatives of any exiles from grandmothers to babes in arms. This is a terror tactic. He has told his household staff, if he goes, he will go like Hitler and level Portau-Prince.
It is too early to tell whether these few exiles will be successful. They apparently have little back-up material outside. Reports that the exiles may have been trained in Puerto Rico, Miami, or Cuba all appear unfounded. Nevertheless, Mr. Mann asked that they all be run down.
- Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Haiti, Vol. IV. Confidential.↩