SITUATION IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (REPORT #259 - AS OF 4:30 PM EDT)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00472A001400050009-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 20, 2006
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: June 3, 1965
• Content Type: IM

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OCI No. 1931/65
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Office of Current Intelligence
3 June 1965
Situation in the Dominican Republic
~Report #259 ---as of 4:30 pm EDT)
Political tension in the interior appears to
be growing, resulting in new civil disturbances there.
The US Embassy in Santo Domingo reports that
a group of undetermined size attacked police head-
quarters and an army barracks in the San Juan de la
Maguana area in the southwestern part of the country
last night. One rebel reportedly was killed in the
attack. Police had been forewarned of the impending
raid and made elaborate preparations--which evidently
were successful--to fend it off.
Judging from the sketchy information thus far
received on what actually happened at San Juan, the
incident appears to have been similar to other raids
on police posts in various areas of the country.
Presumably a common objective of most of these at-
tacks is the capture of arms and ammunition that
would be useful in guerrilla warfare or terrorism
at some later date. At any rate, these incidents
underline the capability of the rebels in general
and the Communists in particular to cause trouble
in many Dominican towns--a capability that will
grow so long as there is no resolution of the politi-
cal deadlock in Santo Domingo.
A statement made yesterday by a rebel repre-
sentative, Caonabo Javier, gives further indication
that supporters of Juan Bosch were in contact with
extremists prior to the April uprising. Javier said
State Dept. review completed
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yesterday that support for Caamano derives from the
"Pact of Rio Piedras" signed in January of this
year between Bosch's Dominican Revolutionary Party,
the extreme left wing of the Revolutionary Social
Christian Party, and the pro-Castro Fourteenth of
June Political Group (APCJ). Bosch's party is known
to have been in contact with the APCJ but this is
the first public indication of a formal link. The
agreement--which Javier signed for the Social
Christian party-called for a degree of coordination
among the signatories. Javier, speaking in Caracas,
said that the APCJ was a "nationalist movement" in
which there has been Marxist influence, but he said
that the group did not control the Caamano movement.
Javier is Caamano's "special representative" who
has been seeking support for the rebel cause in Chile
and Venezuela.
The rebels appear convinced that dissension
exists in the loyalist camp and are focusing on rumors
that Imbert is about to be toppled by military.
Press stories on the coup rumors
are continuing to come in despite a denial yester-
day by Imbert's press secretary that there was any
basis for them.
Charges by each Dominican faction that the
other is guilty of violating human rights agree-
ments can be expected to receive heavy play in the
immediate future. Caamano's claims of atrocities
committed by Imbert's forces have provided the
USSR with the pretext for requesting today's meeting
of the UN Security Council on the Dominican situation.
Manuel Bianchi, chairman of the Inter-American
Human Rights Commission, is now in Santo Domingo
examining the atrocity charges, and further UN
action along these lines presumably will be suggested
by the USSR. The .US Embassy in Santo Domingo comments
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that the advantage in this area would appear to
lie with the rebels. Most of the atrocities they
are accused of perpetrating occurred during the
confused early days of the revolt, thus making
proper documentation difficult. Also, the rebels
are known to have taken hostages, and fear of
this practice may make those Dominicans with re-
latives in the rebel-controlled area afraid to
speak.
The downtown rebel-held zone, according to the
Embassy, remains a well-armed camp with extremists
very much in evidence and few non-combatants in
sight. Food is in short supply and the central
market is said to be empty. According to one Domini-
can family, free US-distributed foodstuffs comprise
the chief supply and these are being hogged by
rebel "troops."
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