Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume XXXII, Dominican Republic; Cuba; Haiti; Guyana

54. Memorandum From the Director of the U.S. Information Agency (Rowan) to President Johnson¹

Washington, May 2, 1965.

During the last 24 hours I have taken the following actions to explain and win support for United States actions and policies in the Dominican Republic:

1. The Voice of America, which normally does not broadcast in Spanish from 12:30 a.m. to 7 a.m., was put on a round-the-clock basis. The VOA is clearly audible in the Dominican Republic and the rest of Latin America, both from the two medium wave transmitters in the Florida Keys and from our transmitters in North Carolina which constitute the most powerful single shortwave complex in the world.

2. I stayed throughout the night, along with other senior officers, to direct the writing and editing of VOA commentaries which made major policy points such as:

a. The humanitarian mission of our troops.

b. U.S. support for and reliance on the inter-American system.

c. The U.S. goal of enabling the Dominican people to choose freely a government of social justice and democracy.

d. The widespread suspicion in Latin America that Communists and Castroites are involved in the Dominican upheaval.

e. The impartial nature of the activities of American troops in the Dominican Republic.

In addition to the specially prepared commentaries designed to meet the major points of misunderstanding, or Communist propaganda, the VOA made heavy and repeated use of your two statements of last night,² with particular emphasis on your declaration that the U.S. does not want the return of a brutal and oppressive despotism.

Samples of the commentaries are attached.³

3. Our teletype circuit to Latin America was kept open last night so all posts could be serviced with the texts of the OAS resolution and your two statements. Earlier, we had given heavy coverage on the wireless file of the facts regarding U.S. provisions of food and medicine for both factions in the conflict.

4. Through arrangements made earlier, several stations in Latin America picked up feeds from the Voice of America and thus helped to spread our story.

5. I reported earlier on the dispatch of a team to the Dominican Republic to coordinate and beef up the psychological program.⁴ Last night I dispatched a telegram to Hewson Ryan, head of the team, stressing anew the urgency of his assignment and giving detailed guidance.⁵

Our entire communications complex will continue to give the highest priority to the Dominican problem throughout today and tonight.

Carl T. Rowan

1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Dominican Republic, USIA Psychological Situation Reports, 5/65. Secret.
2. The first statement informed the public that the President was sending additional forces to the Dominican Republic consisting of two battalions of the 82nd Airborne Division, approximately 1,500 men, and additional detachments of Marines. The second statement reported on the decision of the OAS to send a committee composed of five member states to the Dominican Republic in an effort to obtain a cease-fire. (Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Lyndon B. Johnson, 1965, Book I, pp. 466–467.
3. Attached but not printed.
4. In another May 2 memorandum to President Johnson on USIA activities in the Dominican Republic, Carl Rowan told the President that in addition to the newly augmented USIA team of 9 members, a 58-man psychological warfare team from Fort Bragg had arrived on the scene. (Johnson Library, National Security File, Name File, Box 1–2, Valenti, Dominican Republic) In a May 1 memorandum to President Johnson, in which Rowan had advised the President of the need to “beef up the psychological program,” Rowan reasoned, “we must be aware that it will be well nigh impossible to justify the presence of 16,000 American troops simply on the grounds that we are protecting Americans and other foreigners. We shall have to devote considerable effort to providing evidence that our actions are to protect the short-range and long-range well-being of the people of the Dominican Republic and the rest of Latin America.” (Ibid., Country File, Dominican Republic, Vol. III, to 5/7/65)
5. Not further identified.