360. Despatch From the Ambassador in Haiti (Drew) to the Department of State1
No. 247
Port-au-Prince, November 30,
1957.
SUBJECT
- Meeting with President Duvalier
President Duvalier sent for me the afternoon of November 27 and in a brief but cordial conversation, at which no one else was present, took up with me the following subjects:
- (1)
- He said that he had taken the Talamas Case into his own hands and would push it to an early and satisfactory conclusion. The President said that those responsible for the killing of Talamas would be punished in accordance with the Haitian Code of Military Justice. I described briefly to the President the talk which Mr. Barringer and I held at his request with the Minister of Finance, Fritz Thebaud, the night of November 8. I could not tell from the President’s response whether Thebaud had reported back to him or not. I told the President of the interest of a number of visiting American Congressmen in the case and suggested that it would be desirable to settle the case before Congress convenes early next [Page 968] January. I was favorably impressed by the President’s apparent sincerity on this subject.
- (2)
- The President next turned to the so-called Cuban Loan. He said that for many years thousands of Haitian workmen had gone annually to Cuba to cut sugar cane and had left part of their wages in Cuban banks, usually under assumed names. It was estimated that between ten and twelve million dollars had accumulated in Cuban banks in this way and that it would be impossible to identify or find the true owners. The Cuban banks were, in effect, making an advance payment to the Haitian Government of four million dollars to be repaid out of the funds in these dormant accounts and that, therefore, it was not actually a loan. The President said that he had given orders to keep the IMF and IBRD representatives fully informed. He expressed his high regard for Mr. Vera and Mr. Bochensky and his interest in working closely with them. I thanked the President for his explanation and said that we had reported the known facts to Washington.
- (3)
- What appeared to be the President’s real purpose in sending for me then emerged. He said that there are three employees of SCISP who must be discharged at once. He mentioned by name Madame Camille L’Herisson, whose husband he described as an enemy of the country. He said that SCISP employees had repeatedly gone on strike over the past ten months and that the other two employees, who were not named, were responsible for the strikes and were engaged in political agitation against the administration. I said that I had been informed by the Director of USOM2 that the Haitian Director General of Public Health3 had asked that these persons be dismissed. I reminded the President of our fixed policy of keeping politics out of the Cooperative Servicios and that technicians were regarded as career personnel. Without making any commitment I promised to discuss the subject with Mr. Yoe. I might say that the President was more emphatic on this subject than I have ever seen him.
The President also mentioned in passing that he was anxious to have a United States Army Mission to help reorganize the Haitian Army and to expand the Naval Mission.
I expressed my appreciation for the opportunity to talk privately with the President and urged him to feel free to call for me at any time he had matters of mutual interest to discuss.
Gerald A.
Drew