LETTER TO MR. RICHARD HELMS FROM HUBERT H. HUMPHREY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01676R000400190042-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 22, 2004
• Sequence Number: 42
• Publication Date: June 28, 1966
• Content Type: LETTER

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THE VICE PRESIDENT
WASHINGTON
June 28, 1966
I appreciate very much your coming over yesterday
to brief me on the situation in the Dominican Republic.
You and your colleagues are doing everything possible
to make the inauguration come off without incident.
I was particularly happy to have the opportunity
to talk with you and your colleague Des Fitzgerald
about the long-range political future in the Dominican
Republic. It is encouraging to know that you share
my concern about the political development of that
island and about the desirability of appointing a high-
level task force to follow the subject. I have written
a letter to Assistant Secretary Lincoln Gordon on this
subject, a copy of which is attached. I hope you will
be hearing from the State Department soon on this matter.
Best wishes,
? 4.t/.
ert H. Humphrey
Mr. Richard Helms
Director
Central Intelligence Agency
Washington, D.C.
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The Honorable Lincoln Gordon
Assistant Secretary of State for Interam.erican Affairs
Department of State -
,.Washington. D. C.
With the approaching inauguration of the new President of the
Dominican Republic on July 1. I believe it is an appropriate
time to give some thought to plans for the long-range political
development of that troubled island. Recognizing the close
relationship between depressed economic conditions and
continued political instability, we have quite properly given
considerable attention to the external economic and technical
assistance that will be needed to assist the Dominicans in
developing a viable economy. Alt these efforts will be in vain
if the fragile political institutions that remain after the ravages
of a violent revolution and after thirty years of Trujillo tyranny
are left untended. Before our attention shifts to some other
crisis, I believe it is advisable to develop a long-range program
to assist the Dominican people in developing a viable political
system.
While we have learned a great deal about economic development
in the last two decades, our knowledge of political development
remains primitive. This is partly because political developments
remain, more elusive, more volatile, less subject to influence by
outside forces; and partly because we have not given the same
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sustained systematic attention to or invested the resources in
political development that we have to economic development.
Only recently have we begun to seriously focus attention on
the development of political parties, the education of labor
loaders on their role in building a free political system, to
the organization of campesino movements, to the orientation
of university groups and communications media along the
lines of,free democratic political development. True, in a
quiet way we have not wholly ignored these matters. But we
have up until now failed to mobilize fully the resources of
the great universities, foundations, the labor unions, farm
organizations and many other groups that could supplement
the activities of governmental agencies in this field.
I know that you are familiar with some of the beginnings that
have been made ?. such as the work of the International
Development l 'oundation and the ambitious research program
now underway under the auspices of the Brookin gs Institution.
In order to focus the vast resources of our society on the
problem of political development in the Dominican Republic,
I am wondering if it might not be advisable to consider
appointing a small high-level task force which would be
charged with the responsibility during the next several years
for planning our assistance in the political field. This would
of course require strict secrecy and could properly engage
the attention of qualified people both inside the government and
outside. You and your colleagues in the government are far
better qualified than I to select people for such a tack force.
In addition to people in the government I have in mind such
private individuals as Dick Scamm.on and John Roche, who
already have extensive experience in the Dominican Republic
In the field of political parties and electoral behavior, as well
as wen .like Victor Reuther in the labor field.
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here of my willingness to assist you in any way in this
this with you further on an early occasion and assure you
government will respond. I look forward to discussing
.such a project. .1:m confident that with bold leadership and
direction on your part, other appropriate agencies of the
you for the leadership and initiative that is required- in launching
us who are interested in political development not only in the
Dominican Republic but in all of the hemisphere can look to
to whom all of us in this hemisphere owe so much. Ambassador
llsworth Bunker. The- overall leadership and initiative for a
project such as this lies with the Department of State. The
President has made it unequivocally clear that the State
Department is the senior department in the US government
in the direction of US foreign policy, and I hope that those of
An ideal Chairman of course would be the distinguished diplomat
endeavor.
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F 2 61o. 237 Use previous editions
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U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1961 0-587292
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