840.48 Refugees/2045
The Chargé in the Dominican Republic (Hinkle) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 30.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Legation’s despatch no. 1117 of January 18, 1940, reporting the arrival in Ciudad Trujillo of Mr. James N. Rosenberg for the purpose of signing a contract with the Dominican Government for the settlement of refugees in this country.
Mr. Rosenberg, Mr. Linder, and Mr. Stephen V. C. Morris, representing the Inter-Governmental Committee, accompanied by the three technical experts, departed from the city on January 19 and personally looked over land near Sosúa belonging to General Trujillo as well as other lands in the vicinity. They were apparently all much impressed by the prospects and quality of the land.
Mr. Rosenberg and General Trujillo then had an exchange of correspondence wherein the former has offered to endow a chair at the University and the General as his personal contribution offered his property at Sosúa for use of the Association. While General Trujillo paid the United Fruit Company $50,000 for this land, he values it, in view of improvements, at $100,000. Mr. Rosenberg has not accepted the gift outright as yet and it is quite possible that General Trujillo will be made a stockholder in the Dominican Republic Settlement Association to the extent of his gift.
The first draft of the contract prepared by Mr. Rosenberg along the lines of the letter addressed to him by Minister Pastoriza37 last November, the contents of which are known to the Department, was given to General Trujillo on January 18. The Dominicans felt that the contract was too complicated and detailed and have since that time submitted a counter-draft apparently based on suggestions by Don Carlos Dávila who has now arrived here as a guest of the General. [Page 210] This counter-draft made no fundamental changes in the ideas presented by Mr. Rosenberg but incorporated the same privileges and immunities in simpler language than the first draft. The counter-draft was received by Mr. Rosenberg on January 23. Since then, however, certain modifications have been introduced by Dr. Troncoso de la Concha, Vice President of the Republic, and Dr. Julio Ortega Frier, chosen by General Trujillo to act as legal counsel for the Commission. At the present moment it does not appear that there are any fundamental differences of opinion which cannot be reconciled by appropriate drafting.
The contract will become effective upon ratification by the Dominican Republic Settlement Association, Inc., and upon the promulgation of appropriate immigration regulations covering such settlement associations. It is expected that the contract will be signed today or tomorrow and this will be made a formal ceremony attended by the representatives of the interested countries.
There has been little newspaper comment. Señor Gimbernard, whose extreme rightist tendencies and scurrilous writings are known to the Department, has attacked the proposed settlement in his organ Cosmopolita. Diario del Comer do carried an editorial on January 22 expressing the hope that these immigrants will not form a separate nucleus of resident foreigners but will become assimilated as Dominicans.
Respectfully yours,
- Señor Don Andrés Pastoriza, Dominican Minister in the United States.↩