The Dominican Crisis: The 1965 Constitutional Revolt and American Intervention

476 Pages·1978·11.183 MB·English

by  Piero Gleijeses

The Dominican Crisis

The Dominican Crisis
The 1965
Constitutionalist Revolt
and American Intervention
Piero Gleijeses
translated by Lawrence Lipson
The Johns Hopkins University Press • Baltimore and London
Translation copyright © 1978 by The Johns Hopkins University Press
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, xerographing, or any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publisher.
Originally published as La Crise Dominicaine, 1965, thesis no. 240 of the
University of Geneva, University Institute of Advanced International Studies,
by A.G. Battaia, Milan, 1973.
Manufactured in the United States of America
The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland 21218
The Johns Hopkins Press Ltd., London
Library of Congress Catalog Number 77-29253
ISBN 0-8018-2025-1
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication data will be found
on the last printed page of this book.
To Letterim Gleijeses and Setsuko Ono

Contents
Acronyms ix
Preface xi
Chapter 1
An Outline of Dominican History from
“Discovery” to the Death of Trujillo (30 May 1961) 1
Chapter 2
“Nicaraguization” or Democratization?
From the Death of Trujillo (30 May 1961) to the
Establishment of the Second Council of State (18 January 1962) 30
Chapter 3
The Provisional Government of the Council of State
(18 January 1962*27 February 1963) and the Constitutional
Government of Juan Bosch (27 February 1963-25 September 1963) 65
Chapter 4
The Triumvirate (25 September 1963-24 April 1965) 107
Chapters
The Countercoup
(24 April 1965, from Noon to Midnight) 159
Chapter 6
From Countercoup to Civil War
(25 April 1965, from Midnight to Four in the Afternoon) 175
VIH CONTENTS
Chapter 7
The Balance of Power
at the Outbreak of the Civil War (the Evening of 25 April) 195
Chapter 8
The Civil War (until Dawn of 27 April) 219
Chapter 9
San Isidro’s Gamble Fails
(From Dawn of 27 April to the Afternoon of 28 April) 237
Chapter 10
The Triumph of Might (The “Solution”
of the Crisis. Its Immediate Aftermath: The
Provisional Government of Garcia Godoy) 256
Chapter 11
The Pax Americana 282
Post Scriptum 302
Appendix I
The United States and the Assassination of Trujillo 303
Appendix II
The Dominican Far Left from its
Beginnings until January-February 1962 308
Appendix III
Art Buchwald and the “Humanitarian” Intervention 328
Notes 330
Bibliographical Essay 427
Index of Names 451
Acronyms
API J4 Agrupación Política 14 de Junio (Political Group 14th of June)
ASD Alianza Social Demócrata (Social Democratic Alliance)
BRUC Bloque Revolucionario Universitario Cristiano (Revolutionary Christian
University Bloc)
CASC Confederación Autónoma de Sindicatos Cristianos (Federation of
Christian Labor)
CEC Comité Ejecutivo Central (Central Executive Committee)
CECP Comité Ejecutivo Central Provisional (Provisional Central Executive
Committee)
CEFA Centro de Entrenamiento de las Fuerzas Armadas (Armed
Forces Training Center)
CONATRAL Confederación Nacional de Trabajadores Libres (National
Federation of Free Workers)
FED Federación de Estudiantes Dominicanos (Federation of Dominican
Students)
FOUPSA Frente Obrero Unido Pro-Sindicatos Autónomos (United Labor
Front for Autonomous Unions)
GRN Gobierno de Reconstrucción Nacional (Government of National
Reconstruction)
IAPF Inter-American Peace Force
ISZ International Security Zone
MAAG Military Advisory and Assistance Group
MPD Movimiento Popular Dominicano (The Dominican People's Movement)
MR1J4 Movimiento Revolucionario 14 de Junio (14th of June Revolutionary
Group)
PAR Partido de Acción Revolucionaria (Revolutionary Action Party)
PDC Partido Demócrata Cristiano (Christian Democratic Party)
PLE Partido Liberal Evolucionista (Liberal Evolutionist Party)
PNRD Partido Nacionalista Revolucionario Democrático (National
Revolutionary Democratic Party)
ix
JC ACRONYMS
PPDC Partido Progresista Demócrata Cristiano (Progressive Christian
Democratic Party)
PRD Partido Revolucionario Dominicano (Dominican Revolutionary Party)
PRDA Partido Revolucionario Dominicano Auténtico (Authentic Dominican
Revolutionary Party)
PRSC Partido Revolucionario Social Cristiano (Social Christian Revolutionary
Party)
PSP Partido Socialista Popular (Popular Socialist Party)
SIM Servicio de Inteligencia Militar (Military Intelligence Service)
UCN Unión Cívica Nacional (National Civic Union)
VRD Vanguardia Revolucionaria Dominicana (Dominican Revolutionary
Vanguard)
1J4 14 de Junio (14th of June)