839.00/2741: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in the Dominican Republic (Russell)
39. Your 50, September 28, noon, and Department’s 37, September 27, 5 p.m.
Department desires, by cable, full information as to the reasons of the Provisional Government for believing that suspension of alcaldes pedañeos for a period before the holding of the elections would make the preservation of order precarious.
[Page 901]The Department is aware that the great majority of these officials was appointed during the life of the Military Government without regard to their political affiliations. Since the Dominican employees of the Military Government, upon whose recommendations the alcaldes pedañeos were appointed, were aligned with the interests of General Vasquez or Senor Velasquez, the Department believes that the majority of the alcaldes pedañeos are consequently actively working in the interests of these two candidates. The Department considers it of the highest importance, therefore, in order that every just ground for discontent on the part of a portion of the voters may be avoided in the future, that the Provisional Government adopt, without delay, the solution of this problem already indicated by the Department and suspend the alcaldes pedañeos from their duties for a period of at least 30 days prior to the holding of the elections.
This desire of the Department is made with the understanding that the Policia Nacional Dominicana is fully competent to preserve order in the rural districts during the period in which the alcaldes pedañeos are suspended from their functions. The Department consequently desires you to consult the Provisional President, the Minister of the Interior, the Military Governor, and Colonel Cutts, upon this point, and report promptly the opinion expressed by them.