DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000200560001-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 22, 1999
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: May 8, 1965
• Content Type: TRANS

FOIAb3b
/ RADIO TV REPORTS Pr
Sanitized - Approved el 0560001-1 ,
FOR, CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Mail Room Library
PROGRAM Sen. Allen J. Ellender
DATE May 89 1965 't!
CPYRGHT
.DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
STATION WWL Radio
CITY . New Orleans, La.
SENATOR ELLENDER: "As to the situation in Ithe Dominican Republic,
I am not at all sure that our course of action there is well-adv secy.'
It seems to me unthinkable that such a serious revolt could have
occurred in that small nation without our intelligence authorities
.being aware of the impending danger, and, in turn, advising the resident
I believe there should have been time enough or the Uni't'ed Mates tco - -
take the problem in advance to the Organization of. American States in an
attempt to gain some support for a joint course of action. It looks
very bad for us. to send the Marines in there on a unilateral basis in
order to protect our own nationals and the nationals of other countries.
Why should we be called upon to do that all.alone? Considering the fact
that we have now sent in about 14,000 Marines to protect 1,500 American
citizens, the picture looks even worse.
"Already we are suspected of taking sides in the revolution, and of
pfavoring one group over another. It may be that the Marines were neces-
sary to protect the Republic from falling under a Communist dictatorship
aided and abetted by that scoundrel Castro. But already several Latin
American nations have denounced our action, and I suspect that we will
come in for a great deal more international criticism before we are done.
The criticisms do not'worry me, of course, for I have taken a good deal
of,it personally during my time in the Senate. It seems to me, however,
that it would have been much better if we had taken timely steps to ob-
tain assistance from our Latin American allies.
"While speaking of the Dominican Republic, I cannot help mentioning
that since the overthrow of Trujillo in 1961, we have given to that
country 1104~"million in economic aid, exclusive of 1965, the current
fiscal year. A. great many more aid dollars are in the pipeline, and the
economic conditions are incomparably worse now than when the island was
under Trujillovs control. Yet in the years of Trujillo, we gave to his
nation. only about $4 million of economic and military aid.
Political conditions are also much worse, for there have been four
more or less violent changes of government in the Republic in the last
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 CPYRGI-Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP75-00149R000200560001-1
four years. There is no doubt that Trujillo was a dictator of the
first rank, but he also wan an able administrator and leader, who
used the resources of his nation for the benefit of his people."
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP75-00149R000200560001-1