Opinion

Late President Joaquin Balaguer in 1966

Hypothesis: FBI worked as president Balaguer’s informants and not vice versa, as Tim Weiner wrote in ‘Enemies’

This is an election year and controversy is everywhere in the Dominican Republic. A book from Pulitzer Prize Tim Weiner calling former president Joaquin Balaguer (1906-2002) FBI informant ignited a protest from his old PRSC Party peers. Balaguer dedicated all his life to the, controversial, exercise of political power.

Tim Weiner in his incoming book ‘Enemies’ bluntly indicates that   “despite the bureau domestic purview, the FBI has engaged in many overseas operations and ‘choreographed’ the 1965 American invasion that installed FBI informant Joaquin Balaguer as president of the Dominican Republic. As a testament to its powers of persuasion, the bureau recruited the exiled president within 72 hours of his visit to New York City”…

The late Joaquin Balaguer (1906-2002) was 24 years old when Dictator Rafael Trujillo started his span of three decades of absolute power in the Dominican Republic, backup by both DR conservatives and Washington. Trujillo, a psychopath (intelligent, merciless…), was chosen by the U.S. Army during the 1916-1924 first military intervention to this Caribbean country precisely for his evil behavior and immense willing for power. The famous phrase from a U.S. senator in the 50s “he is a son of a bitch, but he is our son of a bitch” demonstrates the superpower when stretching its muscles.

In the mid 50s, soft-spoken Balaguer, as well, showed a powerful desire for power when he started his long career as a public servant. He grew under Trujillo’s shadow and was escalating, bit by bit, the dictatorship ladder. The same Trujillo once warned his court about “this little man, a bad ass worst than him”. It is said that Balaguer wasn’t a ‘Trujillista’ (pro Trujillo)…Trujillo was, a ‘Balaguerista’ (pro Balaguer).

The pre WWII years

During the 1930s, the United States have been losing his military inertia to become a new military/industrial superpower gained after World War One, due to its capitalism crisis down cycle. U.S. industrialists knew that their Germany counterparts were preparing themselves to expand taking more territory with war-essential raw materials, oil and cheap, eventually slave, manual labor. Germany was squeezed in north-center Europe without enough territory like the open United States, reigning over a whole continent. Since war is one of the best businesses in the world, both sides have been preparing themselves, along with Japan’s industrialists, to go to war. A third player, Soviet Union’s industrialists also looking to become a superpower were a little behind yet with immense resources due to its extended territory.

In the United States, war planners first indicate that all countries in the American continent should be ‘pacified’. They will need raw materials freely available at a minimum cost. Since Germany looked to South America very early in the 30s after war components with military high value (aluminum, nickel…) and commodities, they took by surprise the U.S. Army –looking after the same– yet the Americans were also a little behind German scientists.

In 1939, they all started World War Two.

In 1941, the U.S. gets into the war with the excuse of the Japanese mysterious, yet convenient attack to Pearl Harbor –without have been enemies in the past– and in the mid 40s, the Soviet Union launched themselves into war also.

A war of industrialists from three continents looking after worldwide domination.

Fifty million dead later…in 1945, the U.S. and URSS step up as the two remain superpowers. Looking after domination, they both continue making business by fighting each other in ‘minor’ wars in Korea, Indochina, and Africa… In 1949, China gets into war industrialism also. Counting from the late 19^th century, Planet Earth’s superpowers have been involved in the killing of more than100 million people so far.

1950s: the dark decade

In the late 50s in the Caribbean, Cuba turned into a communist country as a warning tactic from the URSS to stop global isolation from the U.S. It was suspiciously taken by Washington as an excuse to spend more in the military until the fall of the URSS, not the Russian industrialists though, in 1990.

Curiously, the mentality of planet Earth’s population in the 18^th, 19^th and 20^th centuries was in favor of strong hands. Strong governments. Fascism, nationalism… they really love protection, no matter the murdering and torturing of millions of people. Thus, for ‘taking care of business’, the U.S., along with all Americas’ oligarchies, put the entire continent under military dictatorships, mostly in the first half of the 20^th century, the bloodiest in human history.

For the 75,000-sq. kilometer/3-million people Caribbean island divided in two by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, they put two dictators: Trujillo and Duvalier.  They happily reigned without remorse and they both killed some 250,000 of their comrades. Try to imagine then, the panorama where young politician Joaquin Balaguer –astute and clever– grew: in the very same flames of hell.

But he painfully worked his way up to be chosen as the chosen one…

Thus, to do what he did, he certainly should play with fire. Although he didn’t need to be ‘informant’ of the FBI, he certainly should have asked them –or the CIA, ATF, NYPD…– for help to investigate his enemies’ whereabouts. Since Balaguer, 55 then, was also merciless and cold blooded, when fighting for supremacy and domination, it is possible that he made the FBI worked for him. He should know that the powerful need to continue without Trujillo (65, with syphilis and prostate cancer) and he has worked his way out as Trujillo’s puppet president. It is possible; also, that Trujillo’s assassination was planned –even partially executed– by the FBI or CIA, since locals lack the resources to do it. For a veteran of decades of conspiracies, single, only dedicated to power for the sake of it, it is possible also that Balaguer knew about this new intent, from hundreds of plots, to assassinate Trujillo. Since ‘nothing was personal’ he could stay put and wait. In a country only with two million people, some seven hundred thousand living in the capital (then named Ciudad Trujillo, a loved dictatorship’s paroxysm) everybody knew everybody, more in the military. It is hard to believe that Balaguer wasn’t informed about the plot. More, since near of twenty people from DR’s middle and high classes –his acolytes– were directly involved.

Trujillo and, Balaguer, cleverness

It is possible that Eisenhower protected Trujillo. They were both infantrymen and Generals. But, as soon as Kennedy took power –when the U.S. were twisting into new times after McCarthyism– old perverted Trujillo never liked the then assassinated young American president. That could be a go, for Trujillo’s elimination, counting with Balaguer to continue the U.S. /DR conservatives tight grip over the country. Maybe, soothed a little with some airs of democracy –like in the mid 40s after WWII. It is important to remember that Balaguer had diplomatic experience, as well as a network of U.S. senators and representatives bribed by Trujillo for years. They also protected him. If not… how come a well known allied, and admirer, of Adolph Hitler could survived in power during WWII? Trujillo’s Army Special Forces dressed in Wehrmatcht fashion; they even use their famous black helmets and Mousers rifles. It was only in 1944 when German industrialists were losing the war when the DR declared the war against Germany, yet three years later after Pearl Harbor. It is known, also, that Trujillo made pretty good profits selling goods to both sides on war: U-Boats used to sneak in the easternmost coast of Hispaniola, today’s Punta Cana District, to buy livestock and tropical fruits. It is logic that U.S. submarines did it either…

When the ‘cold war’ started in the fifties –the answer from industrialists to continue in business– no one touched Trujillo. His so-called ‘Trujillo’s Era’ had been 25 years in power in 1955, his best year ever, without enemies and at the peak of his dictatorship. He then traveled a lot, especially to Spain, to meet Generalissimo Francisco Franco, now his mentor after Hitler. He even up ranked himself the same, in a sad pantomime for a small, poor and sick country like the Dominican Republic, kept on purpose with a 90% of illiteracy and isolated from the rest of the world.

However, Trujllo was in trouble. He had the country broke –quietly– after the failure of his economic model; even with his intend to show a modern nation to the world with another pantomime: some euphemistic ‘Free World & Peace Fair’, in the outskirts of the capital in 1955. Only a few Latin American countries showed, of course the ones under dictatorships… Three years later, Fidel Castro took Havana. Trujillo’s paranoia went to the ceiling fearing an invasion from the thousand of exiled Dominicans. It occurred in 1959 with Cuban and Venezuelan support. The invasion was a bloodbath, same with aftermath. In the early sixties, with Balaguer as puppet (was he?) president, finally it was decided: they will get rid of Trujillo… yet not, the dictatorship. Balaguer tried to continue in power. He sneaked cleverly trying to negotiate with anyone in front of him, yet it was deposed in 1962 and exiled, with rather enthusiastic popular support, to New York.

The rest of the 60s, 70s, 80s and half the 90s

In a short interval in between 1962 and 1965, conservatives tried to govern the country themselves, with the exception of the 7-month truly yet deceptive democratic administration of Balaguer’s nemesis, Juan Bosch, when he had a coupe de etat by conservatives and the military and, sent him to, Puerto Rico. Later to Spain. Conservatives’ presidents did it so bad…that in 1965 the country went through a limited civil war (it was only fought in Santo Domingo) of six months! The U.S. Army intervened for the second time to avoid, first, the return of Bosh to power backup by liberals. Second, to stop any intent from Cuba to link the Dominican Republic to them, as communists or not. And third, to continue the conservatives’ power over the country, as it has been since the 19^th century.

Liberal lost. More than three thousand died in the conflict, more in the years to come during Balaguer’s presidencies.

It is certain that the U.S. and DR conservatives put a conspiracy to brought Balaguer back from New York to take the presidency.

And, he did: October 1966.

Balaguer lasted in power for, another, 20 years…