339.3921L96/32a
The Secretary of State to the Secretary of the Navy ( Daniels )
My Dear Mr. Secretary: With reference to our conversation of last week regarding the trial by court martial of two Dominicans named Fabio Fiallo and Amerigo Lugo, the Department of State [Page 166] has today received a cable27 from the American Minister to Santo Domingo stating that Fiallo has been sentenced to one year’s imprisonment and the payment of a fine of $2500.
I am taking the liberty of bringing this to your attention since it was my understanding that you intended to have the Military Governor take steps to deport Flores Cabrera, a Venezuelan associated with the men above mentioned in their propaganda against the American Occupation, and to have the two Dominicans themselves released after a warning had been given them by the proper authorities. It may be, of course, that the Military Governor feels obliged to have this severe sentence imposed upon Fiallo, for the moral effect which it may have throughout the Republic, and later pardon him. If this is not the case, I should be much obliged if you would let me know whether you have received additional information from the Military Governor which makes you believe it desirable that this heavy sentence be imposed, since I fear the report of this case will be made considerable use of in propaganda directed against the Military Occupation of Santo Domingo in other Latin American countries.
Faithfully Yours,
- Not printed.↩