Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume E–11, Part 1, Documents on Mexico; Central America; and the Caribbean, 1973–1976

330. Letter From the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Crimmins) to Frank J. Devine, Minister-Counselor at the Embassy in Venezuela¹

Washington, April 30, 1973.

Dear Frank:

Many thanks for your letter of April 16. I appreciate your informing me of your conversation with Rafael Bonilla Aybar, and I am intrigued at the channel chosen, assuming it was a deliberate attempt to sound out the Department to see what position, if any, we might have concerning the 1974 election. It is not the sort of question that could be asked without considerable awkwardness either through Embassy Santo Domingo or in Washington. In any case, you were certainly correct in responding that whether President Balaguer runs for reelection or not and who else runs, etc. are matters for determination by the Dominicans themselves. We have no position concerning the election and have remained, and will continue to remain, entirely out of the matter. At your discretion, you may wish to pass that on to Bonilla. You can tell him that, grain of salt or no, that is our policy and we shall continue to maintain it.

For your information, we are attempting to avoid showing any preference at all for any candidate, including, of course, Balaguer. Our doors remain open to Dominican politicians of any or all persuasions—excepting, of course, the extremists. No doubt many of them have exaggerated or misrepresented their conversations with us in later talks with collaborators and other Dominicans, several of whom are probably naive enough to equate their reception at the Department as evidence of USG support. You and I realize that many Dominicans believe the USG is the final arbiter of anything that happens in their country, but I don’t know what we can do about that attitude, other than what we are doing, i.e., scrupulously maintaining a neutral posture and letting people know that is our policy.

With all Marguerite’s and my best wishes to Barbara, the children and you.

Sincerely,

John Hugh Crimmins

1. Summary: After Devine received an inquiry from the Dominican Ambassador to Venezuela regarding U.S. policy with respect to the upcoming Dominican Presidential elections, Crimmins wrote that the United States had no preferred candidate and would refrain from involvement in the electoral process.

   Source: National Archives, RG 59, ARA/CAR/DR Files: Lot 75D392, POL 14 Elections. Confidential. Official-Informal. Drafted and cleared by Burke. A copy was sent to Ambassador Meloy. In an April 16 letter to Crimmins, Devine reported on a conversation in which Dominican Ambassador Rafael Bonilla Aybar alleged that a rumor was circulating in Santo Domingo that the Department was opposed to a Balaguer candidacy for reelection. In the margins of that letter, Crimmins wrote, “I think CAR should do a note to FJD [Devine] saying that we are taking no position, etc., and he can at his discretion pass to B–A [Bonilla Aybar].” (Ibid.)