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AT COST OF LIBERTY Trujillo's 23-Year Rule Builds

Prosperity, Education and Health in Island Tyranny

Hxjsz DICTATOR IS ALL-POWERFUL

Government and Single Party Mirror Generalissimo—His

Relatives Fill 157 Jobs

By HERBERT L. MATTHEWS Special to Tat NEW YORK TIMES.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, March 26 •—The picture of the Dominican Republic under Generalissimo Ra­fael L. Trujillo Molina today is a startling: contrast in good and bad. Materially it ranks with the best run, most prosperous and con­tented of all Latin-American coun­tries. Politically it is a personal tyra my to a degree surely unpar­alleled on either side of the Iron Curtain.

To understand the Dominican Republic one must study it like a coin—first one side and then the other. To describe it frankly for publication one must leave the is­land and come out to a free coun­try where there is no censorship, as this correspondent has done after a week in the Dominican Re­public.

In judging the Dominican Re­public and the extraordinary man who is its dictator it is vital, first, to pay tribute to the remarkable accomplishments of the regime since Generalissimo Trujillo took over in 1930. The material accom­plishments are of a permanent na­ture and the Dominican people will, as a matter of historical rec­ord, have to give credit to Gen­eralissimo Trujillo.

He took power in 1930 after a period of unexampled brutality

- and chaos, during a worldwide eco­nomic crisis, when the Dominican national income had dropped to $7,000,000 and the foreign debt was $20,000,000. Eighteen days after he became President, Ciudad Trujillo, the capital, was destroyed by a hurricane, except for the old, Spanish section by the port.

The picture today is startlingly different. The imposition of law, order and discipline was an early accomplishment that has been maintained. In judging public opinion this is an important factor to keep in mind, for Dominicans recall the previous period of in­ternal strife with horror.

THE NEW YORK TIMES, Sri The foreign debt was paid off in 1947, and the small internal debt is being refunded ahead of time. The national budgets have been in surplus since 1931; trade bal­ances have been favorable since 1936. Gold and liquid reserves cov­ered 78 per cent of the monetary issue at the end of 1952, while the Dominican peso remained firmly at par with the United States dollar. Price indices remained steady dur­ing 1952, an indication that no in­flation is going on. Industrial de­velopment has increased rapidly in number of establishments, capital invested, employment, sales and wages.

Great strides have been made in public health, sanitation and education. Every city and town of importance has pure drinking water in its taps—an unusual record for a small Latin Ameri' can country. The cities and im­portant towns have excellent sewage systems. The regime has built thirty-two modern hospitals and many clinics and dispensaries, and done much to eradicate ende­mic diseases like yellow fever and hookworm. By tropical standards this is a remarkably clean, healthy country—and it was quite the re­verse before the Trujillo regime.

Illiteracy is fast being reduced and there are now well over 2,000 schools, perhaps as many as 2,500, exclusive of compulsory night classes in the anti-illiteracy campaign.

Then there has been the con­struction program—the rebuild­ing of Ciudad Trujillo (which until 1935 Jiad the historic name Santo Domingo), a new poii at Haina, roads, bridges, irrigation works, public buildings, electrifi­cation, workers' housing and many new factories, sugar mills and processing plants. In 1952 the first shipment of iron ore from the Dominican Republic was made. Television broadcasting was begun on Aug. 1, 1952.

In religion there is complete free­dom of worship and the General­issimo has done much with gifts and tangible encouragements to aid not only the established Roman Catholic faith but also the Protes­tants and the Jews. He has been unable to obtain the concordat he has been seeking for many years from the Vatican, probably be­cause of the ease with which di­vorces are to be obtained here. The dictator and a few of his children are among those who took advan­tage of the easy civil divorce code.

In social i-elations, there is no color line, except for a little social snobbery in the capital, and no racism.

Expenses Rise Rapidly This is an impressive picture,

and it is not exaggerated. Of course, there are flaws in it. The national budget has been increas­ing at a rapid rate. In 1945 it was $25,000,000; in this calendar year it is nearly $90,000,000. The War De­partment gets $24,500,000 of this, for one of the dictator's actions has been to build up the Aamy, Navy, Air Force and National Po­lice to a point that has his neigh­bors trembling. Fiscal policies

The New York Times PATERNAL DESPOT: Gener-alissimo Rafael L. Trujillo, of the Dominican Republic.

Generalissimo went into the sugar business, and now the sugar indus­try takes up a disproportionately large part of the, economy in a time of falling prices. The Republic is clamoring more and more for a larger United States import quota and sugar purchases.

Aside from that complaint there is no doubt that the United States has an enormous fund of good will in the Republic and relations could hardly be better. Communism has been outlawed since 1947 and the Dominican representatives in the United Nations have consistently stood by the United States on "cold war" issues. Cooperation with the Point Four program has been complete.

Tight Dictatorship The man whose full title is "His

Excellency the Generalissimo and Dr. Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, Ben­efactor of the Fatherland" has what surely must be the tightest and most personal dictatorship in the world. This is the other side of the picture of the Dominican Republic. »

For the visitor, especially a newspaper man and one who has lived under other dictatorships, certain little things are imme­diately obvious or ascertainable. When the telephone in one's room at the Hotel Jaragua is picked up there is the unmistakable buzz that indicates that it is tapped. It is known that some of the rooms have microphones in the radio, and a newspaper man has to expect to be put into such a room. When he sits in the dining room or bar or any part of the hotel with a low ceiling, it is safer to talk in low voice. He may be positive that his mail and telegrams are censored. At the airport coming in, a search is made fo» news-

regime. Tim* Magazine, for' in­stance, has been barred four times since December.

There is a measure of surveil­lance, or at least the impression of being watched, at all times, even though it takes the usually pleasant form of being accompa­nied everywhere by those who of­fer to help, and of being given parties and the most generous sort of hospitality. Thi Very Im­portant Person treatment is so nicely tendered and so open hand­ed that it is made to seem the height of ingratitude to be critical afterward. The duty of being frank carries inescapable regrets, i

In the political field, one finds1

a complete framework for a demo­cratic government—the branches of legislature, executive and judi­ciary, the President and his Cabi­net, the Senate and Chamber of Deputies. Except for the judiciary, none of this counts, for even the incumbent President, the General­issimo's youngest brother, Hector; B. Trujillo Molina, has no power.

There is only one political party, I the Dominican party, founded in| 1931. All Government employ*" must belong to the party and per cent of their pay is deduc for its funds. Branches run I the Central Junta a t the to' local assemblies in village disti

The Dominican party, howev has no real importance; it is not1

like the Communist party in t Red country, or even like th< Fascist, Nazi or Falange partir It has two primary functions. C | is "to sustain, piogagate and p into effect the patriotic and polit cal credo of its founder, Dr. Rafae Leonidas Trujillo Molina. The other, at election time, is to pre vide hand-picked lists of candi­dates, who are always elected. j

Identity Card Stamped at Polls ] Voting is not compulsory by law-;]

but it is in practice. Every ma. I and woman of 18 or more must take his identity card, or codula, I to the voting booth, where it is] stamped "Votado." Since the ce-1 dula is necessary for an' infinite, number of occasions, including! getting a passport to. go abroad, to have one showing that you have not voted is tantamount to flaunt- I ing opposition to the Generalissi­mo. One mark, usually put in by the balloting officer, suffices fo* all the Dominican party candi­dates, and there is no way in which names can be written in or a blanb ballot presented.

The fact that neither the diet' tor nor his important aides hot*-

to run the party indicates that "it has no power and not much sig­nificance.

All power—literally all—resides in the "Jefe" or Leader, as Gener­alissimo Trujillo is called. One can accept the Dominican claim that he is loved and revered; he wants to be, he tries hard to be and he has done much for his country and people. He is paternalistic to an' extraordinary degree. When a poor village woman needs an operation and cannot pay for it, the Jefe pays; when a girl cannot go.^to her first communion because! ie

•

BLESS GEOYER

2 Months ary Result {alignment

•0«X TlMIS.

slavia. March conomic re-

traditional and adopting

rer. enterprise illectives, are

•ished Without

or publication the record un-92,284, an ad-20,000 in t w o ^ T T j R D A . Y , M A B C H 28, 1953.

f bread in this •• ' ' try was ta­per cent this

cently doubled, •ease is being

L + "+"

L * m an accaent UTjefe wiU of * J * ~ £ ^ ^ Z »P. send nim an artlficiaAeg. > -tort; he cou ^ ^ ^

I t is a one-man dlcfctorship, but at 23, to genera . ^ ^ ^ I n s p e c .

employment is "•easing to the

the "right to _ d by the con-

mployment has Iding principle i. Yet the Gov-that it would imic liberalize*

Abandoned • semi-official jopress, which lployment fig-scontinue farm gaining speed,

collective farms ned, or 30 per collectives that ak in January, m at this peak, .d failed to col-

20 per cent of , in Yugoslavia,

•itock and other collective farms ter to Western-]

while the land| o its former was disclosed, the collective

,j have contrib-lployment total. ne Socialist phi-•eminent leaders that changes in

ystem and indus-mis will reduce labor. This move effort to create

industrial pro]-

ailed Temporary that competent

is had asserted "phenomenon or was temporary

to the "transi-:conomic system rought.

out that unem-appeared a year aslc revisions m nomic principle-'

it has a family strucbre, perhaps for a future dynasty.pne recently compiled list showe. that there were 157 relatives in Government jobs or in business*? connected with the Goverment. 'he General-.ssimo is Minister of 1 orel|n Rela; lions, Minister of Social Secuiity, the only «ve-star general Ambas sador at Large, Special Ambassa­dor to the United Nations and, of course, dictator. The /am»y also holds the Presidency If the • • » lie. two Senatorial posts and the jobs of adviser to the President. Commander in Chief J j t t e Armed Forces, Under Secretaryship or

55 t L J ? nf the Air F o c , Inspec-

most important-the heir appar-I X I t o ^ u i « e s t brother Lwnl-aas Rhadames, who is now 11, is

Family Holding* Are Wide Here is a partial list of the fam-

iiysToldingl (the income is much Greater than the holdings). Con­trol of the Central KioHaina, the Jefe's sugar • • » P « ^ i * t # B about 20 per cent of^the • H ^ H total productive capacity and

iinmlral S m S T t t ' W j m m - g g * T s c^piUUzedlasTyear at' Defense, Chief of Staff of t h e ; A " H * ^ . t h e two newspapers Force and Inspector General of *M*gffiVmjnio; a M per cent Army. The family also has tne °_, t t h e o n i y brewery, the onlyVir-s tar g e n e / a l , ^ W S 2 ^ £ P M f * ^ V t o 4 f i Hector Trujillo, three Of tte live . ,£ U n K organization in Ciudaa brigadiers and six major diplomat- t i m i i n , * .„ T O , n , „,,,„. hl,Re

" C l i d e s t s o n b y t h e d i c u t o r j s

present wife is « » ' « ' » 25, universally known, aa B toM. When he was 11 Vf"" ° ' d / & , * £ made a full colonel, But at HW ag«

I

Trujillo and several other large towns; the state concessions on salt, the lottery and "VS*15^!. houses; thr&or fijjf***,1^ est importlnk concerns, the i*> minicarAvlatlon Company (C. D.

A.), which is the commercial plane [monopoly; a national arms factory T d an explosives factory; a large mterest in F«ix Benltes Rewch, contractors for harbors and "vers and builders of the ports of Ciudad Trujillo and Rio Haina; the only cement plant; the only concrete block factory; a substantial inter-

est in the tobacco monopoly, an a l r p 0 r t construction company, the shoe factory that supplies the armed forces; a lumber and furnl

^trapes* •oureeVof revenues that could be

taxes, white the Tinted States con-cerns recently 1 .-'• a new and neavy tax placed on them. It is a

parlor pastime in Ciudad Trujillo to guess how much the General-lissimo has secreted abroad; every­one agrees the total must be fab­ulous. . . . „

There Is power also in having armed forces strong enough to de­feat any two other forces in the Caribbean.

Every Individual, including those in the family, is subject to the Generallissimo's every whim. He can and does make and break men overnight, whether they are foreign ministers, army generals or hotel chefs. He does not permit others to build up fortunes abroad, he never permits anyone to be­come strong or even FOP£a*™ the Dominican Republic. He Xeeis that he must stand alone, the "Benefactor of the Fatherland.

Thus there is around him a vac­uum No one dares tell him what he does not want to hear; no one dares cross him; no one even dares not to flatter him. His people say that he has ruled well; no one can i denv that he has ruled with a tho­roughness unsurpassed by any

'other totalitarian regime.

to i t ' of ay

he

DOMINICAN HAVEN FOR JEWS WANING

Sosua, Despite Hardships, Aids Republic, but Few Come to Replace Departing Settlers

.; ^ f / r 3 By HERBERT L. MATTHEWS

Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES.

SOSUA, Dominican Republic, March 22—This little refugee col­ony, composed mostly of German and Austrian Jews, has earned a fame in the Western-Hemisphere far beyond its size or importance. The measure of its success or fail­ure can be debated according to the norms and expectations that are applied, but no one who spends a day in this beautiful and busy spot can deny that the men and women who colonized and stuck with it have made a fine life for themselves and have contributed something valuable to the Domini­can Republic.

The original gesture—a donation of 26,000 acres by Generalissimo Rafael Leonidas Trujillo on the northern coast of the Republic fif­teen miles east of Puerto P l a t a -was a generous one. The dictator had personally invested at least .$100,000 in the property. Alfred Rosenzweig, general manager of the settlement, and his top assist­ants asserted today that they have been helped in every way at all times by the Dominican Govern­ment. Assistance has also come and is still coming from the Amer­ican Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (Agro-Joint), whose head offices are in New York. However, the colony is now vir­tually self-supporting, with assets of about $1,000,000 and no liabili­ties to speak of.

Sosua was never a Utopia and there were heartbreaks and grim pioneering work before it could reach its present state of solvency. Moreover, there is no denying that, from the viewpoint of size and of providing a haven for a great many refugees, it has been a dis­appointment. One can see that by comparing the original hopes and the realities that followed.

Stems From Evian Conference The genesis of Sosua goes back

to the Evian, France, conference of July, 1938, when representatives of thirty-two nations met to con­sider the plight of hundreds of thousands of political and religious refugees from Central Europe,

especially from the Nazis. In a survey made and published by the Brookings Institution in 1942, it was stated that the one country willing to accept "any considerable number" as immigrants was the Dominican Republic, which was prepared to admit "up to 100,000 for gradual settlement." Sosua was not one of the areas recom­mended, by the committee of ex­perts that made the Dominican survey, since it was not considered suitable for "general settlement purposes," but it had the advan­tage of being available.

And so the colony began when a group of twenty-seven men, ten women and .one child arrived here on May 10, 1940. Nearly thirteen years have passed. In that time 670 settlers in all came to or passed through the colony. Ax present there are 181 settlers, com­pared with 192 in 1951 and 236 in 1950. Of those in Sosua now, at least 20 per cent have applied far immigration visas to the United States, in line with the fact that the men who came here were al­most invariably from the profes­sional and white collar classes, not, farmers or manual workers. i

I t was tough going. The land was not suitable for plowing and: it is now two-thirds pasturage and one-third forest and rocks. It was: by creating a dairy, making but­ter, cheese, sausages, hams and bacon, selling meat and eggs— nearly all of which goes to Ciudad Trujillo—that a solution was final­ly achieved. The original "home­steads," built with the idea that a man and his family would liye on a real farm with plowed land and crops, are nearly all aban­doned. Now almost all the settlers live in their village of Batey. (The ancient Indian "Sosua" for which the colony is named is just a group of native hovels today.)

Investment Totals $3,000,000 In all, about $3,000,000 was spent

through Agro-Joint on, Sosua—a third in land improvement, a third in bringing refugees here and a third in maintaining them for about a year and a half until they become self-supporting.

Clearly, the great problem is get­ting and keeping the right kind of settlers. Yet it is a fine project, well run, well treated by the Do-minician Government and capable of providing a contented and crea­tive if arduous life in a magnifi­cent climate. In 1952, for instance, sixteen homesteaders left and only five arrived. There are only three new .families who plan to come here in the immediate future. As United States immigration visas are granted, still more settlers will be leaving.