Why the country was dictated by Trujillo. Raphael Trujillo is a great and bloody dictator. Career: Colonel of the National Guard
March 6th, 2016, 05:07 pm
Signs that hung on houses In the Dominican Republic: "Trujillo is a national symbol in this house"
Raphael Trujillo was a classic dictator. He reveled in power. The hangers-on called him "Chef." At his suggestion, the practice of "popular opinion" spread, in which large crowds of people shouted approval for the government (there was still no Internet).
Congress voted overwhelmingly to rename the country's capital Ciudad Trujillo. The highest peak in the Caribbean, Monte Tina, has been named Peak Trujillo. Churches were instructed to display the slogan "God in heaven, Trujillo on earth", which was eventually changed to "Trujillo on earth, God in heaven." The president's supporters have recommended him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Congress awarded him the titles of Generalissimo, Admiral of the Fleet, the titles "Benefactor of the Nation and Creator of an Independent Economy", "Restorer of Independence", "Liberator of the Nation", "Patron of Fine Arts and Literature", "First Student", "First Doctor", "First Doctor Sciences ". The Generalissimo awarded his four-year-old son the rank of colonel of the Dominican army - the people should have known about the inviolability of the power of the Trujillo dynasty.
He honored the Constitution and never served as president for more than two terms. Formally, he ruled from 1930 to 1938 and from 1942 to 1952 (he increased the presidency from four to five years). But in fact, of course, he did not let go of the authorities for an hour - the role of the president between the official terms was played by his obedient aides. Of course, he became the richest businessman in his country. Employees were required to “donate” 10 percent of their income to his party fund.
Trujillo tried to subjugate the neighboring republic of Haiti to his power. When this failed, he staged a massacre there. Trujillo liked to make lists of his enemies. For a time, opposition parties were even allowed to function openly: this was done mainly to facilitate the identification of opponents of the regime and their elimination. He paid special attention to the modernization of the armed forces: servicemen received a large wages, including allowances, were regularly made in rank, new equipment and weapons were purchased.
The president was rancorous and his intelligence helped him respond to grievances. When one of the American professors spoke unflatteringly about the dictator, after a while he disappeared in New York. Another incident occurred with the former secretary of Raphael, who fled to Mexico and wrote an accusatory article, after which he was shot in the center of Mexico City.
For his lust (Raphael loved to rape women), he received the nickname "el chivo" (goat). But the drop that overflowed the cup of patience was the women with whom he could not do anything - the Mirabal sisters: Patria, Minerva, Dede and Maria Teresa. They were political activists and fought against the regime. And the sisters, like their husbands, were repeatedly sent to prison dungeons - Trujillo liked to repeat: "He who is not my friend, my enemy, and, therefore, he will pay for it." On November 25, 1960, three of the four Mirabal sisters (Maria Teresa, Patria, Minerva) went to visit their arrested husbands. On the way back, an ambush awaited them. Secret police officers beat them with sticks and threw their bodies into a cliff. This caused an explosion of indignation in the country. A few months later, the dictator's motorcade was ambushed and Rafael Trujillo was killed.
The day of his murder is now called the "Festival of the Goat" (La fiesta del chivo).
Raphael Leonidas Trujillo Molina (1891-1961) was at the helm of power in the Dominican Republic as president and head of the armed forces for 31 years.
He was the third (out of 11) child of a small shopkeeper; the maternal grandmother was half Haitian. Having not received a systematic education, from an early age he did not disdain petty theft.
In 1916, the Dominican Republic was occupied by the US Marine Corps. In 1918 Trujillo joined the American guard instead of the national army. Prior to that, he had a reputation among local residents as a horse thief and smuggler. According to the American biographer, "in normal times Trujillo would probably have ended up on the gallows." For his zeal in punitive operations against the population, he was promoted, and then sent to study at the American military school, where he became a captain.
In 1924, US troops left the Dominican Republic; regiment. Trujillo served as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces. When the National Guard was reorganized into the army, he became its commander.
Having "won" the presidential elections in 1930, the 38-year-old general immediately assumed dictatorial powers. The Congress awarded him the titles of Generalissimo and Admiral, the titles "Benefactor of the Fatherland", "Restorer of Independence", "Liberator of the Nation", "Patron of Fine Arts and Literature", "First Student", "First Doctor", "First Doctor of Sciences". Fans recommended Trujillo for the Nobel Peace Prize, but the committee turned down the offer.
Officially he was called El Jefe [The Boss], but behind the eyes - Chapitas [Bottle Caps], because of the many medals on his uniform. Dominican children imitated the Generalissimo by making toy medals from bottle caps.
Monuments to the dictator were massively erected throughout the country; he was praised by the front pages of all the newspapers. The churches were ordered to hang the slogan "Dios en cielo, Trujillo en tierra" [God in heaven, Trujillo on earth], in which the order of phrases was soon changed [Trujillo on earth, God in heaven]. In 1936, the capital of the country, Santo Domingo, founded by Columbus, was renamed Ciudad Trujillo (“the city of Trujillo).
In 1931, the dictator made Partido Dominicano the only legal party in the country. State workers were supposed to “donate” 10% of their salaries to the national treasury in the form of “party contributions”; adult citizens of the country were forced to join the party under pressure. People were easily arrested on the streets if they did not have a palmita, a membership card.
In 1938, following the example of the United States (which has two presidential terms), Trujillo declared that "voluntarily, against the wishes of his people, he refuses to re-elect." The president was named by him personally, the 71-year-old vice-president, Hakinto Bienvenido Peinado, who died in 1940; Jesus Troncoso served the rest of his term. In 1942, when Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president for the third time, Trujillo became president too, serving two more terms (each extended to 5 years). In 1952, his brother, Hector Trujillo, nominally assumed the presidency.
Getting up at 4:00 in the morning, the dictator did exercises, read newspapers and reports; at 9.00, after breakfast, I came to the office. After the walk, he continued to work until 19.30. After a late dinner, he went out, held meetings or drove around the city incognito in a car, "observing and remembering." He had about 2 thousand uniforms and suits and 10 thousand ties. Trujillo was methodical, punctual, secretive; for subordinates - unpredictable. During the reception of the visitor at the dictator's, the “guest” was sitting under the barrel of automatic weapons directed at him from four sides by guards.
Numerous relatives of Trujillo held the posts of ministers, ambassadors, deputies. His daughter Angelita was declared the "queen" of the pompous Exhibition of Peace and the Brotherhood of the Free World in 1955, which cost $ 30 million. The organizers of the exhibition proclaimed Trujillo's semi-literate wife Maria Martinez "a writer and philosopher."
The Generalissimo bought up the best land for livestock, becoming a monopolist in the production of meat and milk. If any of the farmers refused to sell a plot of land to the dictator, then after a few days his widow did it. Trujillo and his family also controlled the salt, sugar, tobacco, logging and lottery industries. Already in 1937, the dictator's annual income was $ 1.5 million, and later $ 30 million. After his death, the state nationalized 111 Trujillo companies. The dictator reorganized the country's economy and increased the level of stability, leaving behind a vast infrastructure. In 1947, he completely repaid the external debt and introduced the national currency (1 peso was equal to $ 1; this rate was held until 1984). But such prosperity had a different price.
Life in the country was controlled by the army and the police; half of the budget was spent on their maintenance. The military received generous salaries and privileges; Trujillo controlled the officer corps through fear and frequent rotation. Opponents of the regime were murdered mysteriously. "Dominicans are jailed even for complaining about bad weather," wrote The Times.
The policy of racial discrimination - "anti-Haitanism" was practiced towards black residents of Haiti and dark Dominicans. On October 2, 1937, under the pretext of violating the border, between 20,000 and 30,000 illegal Haitian immigrants of African descent were killed by cutting sugar cane. They were stigmatized by the fact that they did not pronounce the "R" in the word perejil (Spanish for parsley), which gave them the name "Parsley Massacre."
Trujillo hoped for a war with Haiti to subdue all of Hispaniola. But under pressure from Washington, he agreed to pay compensation to the families of the victims. Haiti demanded $ 750 thousand - at the rate of $ 35 for each killed. Trujillo haggled for a long time; in January 1938, $ 525 thousand was paid (in 2010 prices it is $ 7 million 955 thousand) - $ 30 per victim, of which, due to the corruption of the Haitian bureaucracy, people got only 2 cents.
In 1941, with financial support from Trujillo, Eli Lescaut became President of Haiti. Trujillo expected him to be a puppet, but Lescaut turned his back on him. Trujillo tried unsuccessfully to kill him in 1944, and then, in order to discredit, published their correspondence for 1937-45, showing that Lescaut was on the maintenance of the Dominican dictator.
The anti-communist Trujillo was interested in peaceful coexistence with the United States, from which investments flowed into the country (by 1940 they reached $ 49 million). On December 8, 1941, he declared war on Japan on the side of the Allies, and on December 11 - on Germany and Italy. The Dominican Republic did not participate in hostilities, but as a result in 1942 it became one of the 26 founding members of the UN. Trujillo maintained friendly relations with Franco, Perón and Somoza, but constantly clashed with other countries.
In 1947, Dominican emigrants concentrated in Cuba, where, with the support of the Grau government, they prepared to invade the Dominican Republic to overthrow Trujillo. Under pressure from the United States, the operation was canceled. In turn, when Fulgenzio Batista was in power in Cuba, Trujillo supported his opponent Prio in 1955. The weapons they sent went to Castro's men when Prio sided with the Commander. After 1956, seeing the fortification of Castro, Trujillo began to help Batista with money, airplanes and people. Convinced of Batista's superiority, Trujillo was quite surprised when he emerged as a fugitive after his exile. Trujillo kept him as a "nominal prisoner" until August 1959. Only after paying $ 3-4 million, Batista was able to leave for Portugal, which gave him a visa.
Castro threatened to overthrow Trujillo. The dictator raised the defense budget and formed a foreign legion to defend Haiti: it was expected that Castro would first invade the Haitian side of the island and overthrow Duvalier. On June 14, 1959, a Cuban plane carrying 56 militants landed near Constance; 6 days later, another landing party landed on the northern coast from two yachts, but the Dominican army gained the upper hand.
Trujillo continued to interfere in the internal affairs of neighboring countries, especially Venezuela, hating its president, Romulo Betancourt. Trujillo aided several Venezuelan émigré conspiracies against him, which angered the Organization of American States (OAS). Furious at this, Trujillo ordered his agents to plant a bomb in Caracas inside Betancourt's car; On June 24, 1960, Betancourt was wounded in the explosion, but did not die. The incident led to the severance of diplomatic relations of the OAS members with the Dominican Republic and economic sanctions.
In 1956, the mysterious disappearance in New York of Professor Galindes made a lot of noise. The FBI has determined that the professors were kidnapped in broad daylight by Trujillo's agents, who may have burned him in the firebox of a steamer bound for the Dominican Republic, or thrown him overboard to be eaten by sharks. So Trujillo took revenge on the professor for a book published in the USA with unflattering reviews about himself.
The United States felt uncomfortable. In August 1960, American advisers arrived in Ciudad Trujillo. On their recommendation, Héctor Trujillo left the presidency "for health reasons" and was replaced by Vice President Joaquin Balaguer. Trujillo himself was appointed the representative of the Dominican Republic to the UN (although he never went there).
The murder of the three Mirabal sisters on 25 November 1960 shook the world community even more. (In 1999, the UN General Assembly proclaimed November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Feminists have celebrated this date since 1981 as a day to combat gender-based violence.)
On the night of May 30, 1961, Trujillo went by car to one of his country estates. On the way of the cortege, the conspirators set up an armed ambush. In a shootout on San Cristobal Avenue, Santo Domingo, Trujillo was killed.
It is believed that the elimination of the dictator was planned by the CIA. In a report to the US Deputy Attorney General, the agency said it played "no active role" in the assassination. But an internal CIA memo claimed that an official investigation into Trujillo's assassination had exposed "a very extensive Agency relationship with the conspirators." In the novel, Vargas Llosa writes directly about "the weapons that the CIA provided the conspirators with."
The Trujillo family tried to flee the country with the body of the murdered on the yacht "Angelita", but they were returned back. At the state funeral in a long procession to the dictator's hometown of San Cristobal, where he was originally buried, President Balaguer delivered a Eulogia. After that, the Dominicans voted to expel the family from the country. Trujillo's son transported the body to Paris, where he was reburied at the request of his relatives on Père Lachaise.
In 1891, Raphael Leonidas Trujillo was born into a poor large family of a small shopkeeper. Having barely received his primary education, the boy was brought up mainly by the laws of the street, where he traded in petty theft. At 16, he became a member of a local youth gang involved in robbery and robbery. Even at that time, Raphael liked easy money and the ability to manipulate people.
Everything changed when in 1916 the Dominican Republic, unable to pay its debt obligations, was occupied by American troops, who were supposed to subdue the country, reorganize the army and security forces. Smart Trujillo joined the National Guard at that time and in 9 years grew from lieutenant to general. The brutality with which he killed the rebels against the American regime was approved by the occupiers and ensured a quick career advancement.
As commander-in-chief of the army, Rafael, allied with the rebel leader Estrella Urena, devised a plan to overthrow the incumbent President Horacio Vasquez and seize power. The president was overthrown, Estrella came to power, appointing Raphael head of the army and police. But a few months later, in the next presidential elections, Trujillo won with a unique result of 99% of voters who voted for him.
The bloody reign of the "death machine"
Even before his inauguration, Trujillo ordered the secret murder of all opponents of the new regime. The Dominicans, on the other hand, found out overnight that now there is only one “correct” party in the country, and all citizens should be only in it. Intractable rebels without a membership card could have been thrown into jail without any explanation.
In addition to the practice of political coercion, the dictator introduced additional contributions from the population - 10% of all revenues to the state treasury. A considerable part of the money collected went to the maintenance of the army and the police, which made the service in these departments unusually prestigious and highly paid.
Trujillo's policy was based on strengthening the dictatorship and focusing on three main areas - foreign policy and diplomatic relations with other countries, tough internal governance and economic development.
At the beginning of the reign of Raphael Leonidas, a terrible hurricane broke out in the country, completely destroying the capital, Santo Domingo, and killing more than three thousand people. The President used a natural disaster and rebuilt the city with funding from the American Red Cross in just a year. Trujillo did the same in many other cities of the Republic, only he himself was a destructive hurricane.
Diplomatic truce
What could not be argued with was the dictator's ability to negotiate and the ability to interpret any events in favor of his state. So, as a result of four years of negotiations with the United States, he managed to rid the country of the "heavy hand" of the Americans, who were forced to sign the so-called "Hall-Trujillo Treaty". According to him, the former occupiers returned the disposal of customs duties in the country into the hands of Trujillo, due to which the latter saved the Dominican Republic from external debt in an amazingly short time.
With the outbreak of World War II, the President of the Dominican Republic joined the anti-fascist coalition. And before that, in 1937, he ordered the extermination of several tens of thousands of hated black Haitians in the border regions of the state. At the same time, he approved the immigration of European Jews, allocating them land... The same was true for the entry of Japanese and Spaniards into permanent residence.
Trujillo officially served as president from 1930 to 1938 and from 1942 to 1952. In fact, he was a dictator until his death in 1961, and the role of the president between the official terms was played by obedient aides or his relatives. He did not let go of the power for an hour.
"Cult of personality
With the advent of power, the dictator immediately became influential and the richest man Dominican Republic. He saw the country as his own property, so he often presented gifts to close people in the form of land, houses and businesses. All those dissatisfied with such gestures instantly ended up in prison, and often were simply exterminated. Everyone was afraid of Trujillo.
The President liked to honor himself with various awards and titles. Having a half education, he appropriated the titles of "first doctor of sciences", "first doctor, student". For the entire period of his reign, he was assigned the title of generalissimo, so beloved by many dictators. Under him, Santo Domingo was renamed Ciudad Trujillo, and Mount Monte Tina (now Peak Duarte) became Peak Trujillo.
Another feature of it, caused wild condemnation. He was a lustful man who forcibly used young women and underage girls for personal gain. For this, he was popularly nicknamed "el chivo" (goat), and the day of his murder (May 30) is now called the "Festival of the Goat" (La fiesta del chivo).
The dictator's unhealthy desire to intimidate his subordinates led to the fact that many of them died or went insane. During the reign of Trujillo, more than fifty thousand people died. In the early 60s, when dictatorial regimes began to outlive themselves throughout Latin America, a conspiracy was ripe with the support of the American CIA, which decided to "reorganize" the internal situation in the republic.
On May 30, 1961, the dictator's car was watched on the road near the capital and Trujillo was killed in a shootout. The Generalissimo's successors responded with mass executions. But soon the entire Trujillo clan was expelled from the Dominican Republic. Having settled in Paris, they received permission to transport the dictator's ashes across the ocean and buried them in the Pere Lachaise cemetery. The colonial building of the former Jesuit monastery, which the dictator specially equipped "on a grand scale" as a place for his future burial, now serves as the National Pantheon, where many famous people of the Republic found their rest.
Molina Raphael Leonidas Trujillo
Trujillo Molina Rafael Leonidas (10.24.1891, San Cristobal, - 05.30.1961, Santo Domingo), dictator of the Dominican Republic (1930-61), general. From 1918 he served in the police, in 1925 he headed it, and after the transformation of the police into the National Army (1927) he received the rank of brigadier general and became commander-in-chief. In May 1930 he seized power and established a military-terrorist regime. In 1930-38 and 1942-52 he served as president, and retained power during the presidency (1952-60) of his brother E. Trujillo Molina. Killed as a result of a conspiracy organized in the face of growing discontent with the Trujillo dictatorship and increasing divisions in the ruling elite of the country.
Great Soviet Encyclopedia - http://www.rubrikon.ru/bse_1.asp
Trujillo Molina, Rafael Leonidas (1891-1961), President of the Dominican Republic. Born October 24, 1891 in San Cristobal. He worked as a telegraph operator, from 1919 he served in the police. He headed the national police in 1925, and after the transformation of the police into the National Army (1927) he was promoted to brigadier general. He became president in 1930 after President Horacio Vasquez was removed from office in a coup d'état. Trujillo officially served as president in 1930-1938 and 1942-1952, but actually ruled the country during the presidency of his brother Hector Trujillo (1952-1960). Trujillo managed to attract foreign capital to the country, but he established a dictatorial regime that brutally suppressed the freedom and rights of citizens. Eventually caused widespread discontent in the army. In April 1960, wanting to create the appearance of democracy, he demonstratively resigned from the post of chairman of the Dominican Party. In August of the same year, the Organization of American States introduced economic sanctions against the Trujillo regime. Trujillo was killed by the military near San Cristobal on May 30, 1961. According to the official version, the assassination attempt was organized by General Juan Tomás Diaz, who was soon killed in a shootout with the police.
Encyclopedia "Krugosvet" - http://www.krugosvet.ru
Trujillo, Trujillo Molina Rafael Leonidas (24.10.1891, San Cristobal - 30.5.1961, Santo Domingo), statesman of the Dominican Republic, brigadier general (1927). In 1918 he joined the police. In 1925 he was appointed Chief of Police of the Dominican Republic. In 1927 the police force was transformed into the National Army, and T. was appointed its commander-in-chief. He was closely associated with the US intelligence services. In May 1930 he seized power and established a military-terrorist regime. In 1930-38 and 1942-52 he officially held the post of president, in 1952-60 his brother E. Trujillo was considered president, but all power remained in the hands of T. Established a regime of political terror, brutally persecuted opposition forces, allowed the activity of the only Dominican party, founded (1931) by him. The trade union movement was severely repressed. He pursued a policy of discrimination against immigrants from Haiti, as a result of the massacre (1937) on the Dominican-Haitian border, over 10 thousand Haitian blacks were killed. Under T., the economy of the Dominican Republic came under full US control. After the United States entered the 2nd world war 12/8/1941 declared war on Japan, Germany and Italy. In the 1950s. dissatisfaction with the Tatarstan regime intensified: in 1956 there was an armed anti-government uprising, suppressed by the troops; in 1958, officers took part in an anti-government conspiracy; in 1959 and 1960 there were new protests against the dictatorship. In aug. 1960 handed over the presidency to his protege H. Balaguer, but in fact continued to be a dictator. Killed as a result of a conspiracy organized by his former supporters.
Zalessky K.A. Who was who in World War II. Allies of the USSR. M., 2004
Trujillo Molina Raphael Leonidas... Dictator of the Dominican Republic, in 1930-1961 (in 1930-1938 and 1942-1952 he officially held the presidency). Killed by conspiracy.
Trujillo was born on October 24, 1891 into a poor family. Rafael Leonidas did not receive an education, from an early age he earned a living with whatever it was necessary. He did not disdain petty theft either.
The second half of the 19th century in the Dominican Republic was marked by a fierce struggle of various clans, groupings and parties for power. In 1904 USA have established their full control over the Dominican Republic. In 1916, it was occupied by the American Marines. U.S. intervention in the Dominican Republic ). National army was disbanded. Instead, under the control of the Americans and with the direct participation of the US officer corps, the National Guard was created. Trujillo joined this guard in 1918. Prior to that, he had a reputation among local residents as a horse thief and smuggler.
The National Guard, under the patronage of the Americans, was involved in suppressing popular uprisings that broke out in one area or another. Trujillo was distinguished by special cruelty, before which even his fellow punishers shuddered. This did not go unnoticed: he was promoted, and then sent to study at the American military school. After graduation, Trujillo was promoted to captain. In 1924, US troops left the Dominican Republic, but their protégés remained in key positions in the state. By this time, Colonel Trujillo was serving as chief of staff of the armed forces. When the National Guard reorganized into the army, he became its commander.
In 1930, elections were held in the country. As a result of the skillful falsification of the voting results, Trujillo was elected to the presidency. During his 31 years of reign, he was re-elected four times to the presidency with the unanimous support of voters. In 1930-1938 and 1942-1952, he officially held this post, and in 1952 Trujillo's brother, Hector, became the nominal president, but Rafael Leonidas, who prudently held the post of head of the armed forces, always remained the actual master of the country.
The dictator's indiscriminateness in the means led at times to terrible results. In 1937, an essentially undeclared war began with Haiti. The fact is that for many years thousands of Haitians went to the Dominican Republic every year for seasonal work - chopping sugar cane. So it was in 1937. In late September - early October (the main events played out on October 2), the Trujillo government, not knowing how to get the country out of the protracted economic crisis, decided to resort to tried and tested method- to find a "scapegoat", to blame the Haitians, who allegedly flooded Santo Domingo without permission. Haitians who had arrived in search of work in Santo Domingo were massacred: more than 20,000 innocent people were killed. A storm of indignation broke out in Haiti. Under pressure public opinion the government of the Dominican Republic agreed to investigate the causes of the bloody events, but did not allow an independent commission to visit the place of bloodshed. Trujillo limited himself to expressing condolences and paying compensation to the families of the victims. Haiti demanded $ 750,000 - at the rate of $ 35 for each person killed. Trujillo bargained for a long time and finally agreed to pay $ 500,000.
In 1946, the agricultural workers of the La Romagna plantation dared to go on strike. Trujillo gave the order to arrest all of its participants. A few days later, it was announced that the organizers of the strike had committed suicide in prison in order to avoid trial.
Trujillo tried to influence the inner life of the Haitian state. In 1941, his support and money helped the then Haitian Ambassador to Washington, Eli Lescaut, to become President of Haiti. They met back in 1933, when Lescaut was the Minister of the Interior of Haiti. By the end of World War II, dictators had for some reason become mortal enemies. In October 1944, Trujillo tried to organize the assassination of Lescaut, and in 1945, when the President of Haiti decided to extend his tenure in power, Trujillo, in revenge, published his correspondence with him for 1937-1945, from which it followed that the Haitian president had indeed been the Dominican dictator on the maintenance.
Trujillo's undisguised cruelty caused an increase in discontent in the country. In 1954, the 20,000-strong collective of one of the sugar enterprises went on strike. In 1956, an armed uprising broke out, which was brutally suppressed. In 1958, a government conspiracy was organized with the participation of the military. To a large extent, the activation of the movement of resistance to the dictatorship of Trujillo was facilitated by the fact that it was at that time, at the end of the 50s, that the dictatorial regimes fell in Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, and Cuba.
On June 14, 1959, an armed group of emigrant patriots landed in Constance. A battle ensued with Trujillo's troops. The dictator himself appealed to the people and publicly declared that "Cuban aggression" was taking place.
In August 1960, American advisers arrived in Santo Domingo. On their recommendation, Trujillo Hector left the presidency "for health reasons" and was replaced by the vice-president of the Republic of Balaguer. Trujillo himself was appointed the representative of the Dominican Republic to the UN.
As a result of the State Department's maneuvers to "improve" the situation in the circles of Trujillo's opposition, a conspiracy arose. The operation to eliminate Trujillo was taken over by the CIA. It was scheduled for May 30, 1961. On this day Trujillo went by car to one of his country estates. An armed ambush was set up along the route of the cortege. A skirmish ensued in which Trujillo was killed.
TRUJILLO MOLINA RAPHAEL LEONIDAS
(born in 1891 - died in 1961)
Dictator of the Dominican Republic, president of the country, generalissimo. Killed by conspiracy.
On May 30, 1961, the news of the death of one of the most brutal dictators of Latin America, Generalissimo Trujillo, spread throughout the world. On that day, he raced in a car, unaccompanied by security, to one of his country estates. The 69-year-old father of a large family was in a hurry to meet his 20-year-old mistress. On the way, the car was ambushed and shot. In the body of the dictator, 27 bullet wounds were found.
Rafael Leonid ace was born on October 24, 1891 in a poor family. He did not receive any education, and from an early age he had to earn a living himself. He earned what he had to, not disdaining theft, and soon acquired a reputation among the local residents as a horse thief and smuggler. In 1916, the Dominican Republic was occupied by the US Marine Corps. Under the control of American officers and with their direct participation, the Dominican National Guard was created, which Raphael joined in 1918. This guard was supposed to be engaged in suppressing popular uprisings that broke out in many parts of the country. In fact, she performed punitive functions. Raphael's "efforts" in this field were very soon noticed, because he was distinguished by such cruelty that even his colleagues shuddered. He was promoted and then sent to study at the American military school, where he was soon awarded the rank of sergeant of the United States Marine Corps.
Upon completion of his studies, Raphael was promoted to captain. By the time the Americans left the Dominican Republic in 1924, Trujillo, already a colonel, served as chief of staff of the republic's armed forces. When the National Guard was reorganized into the army, he became its commander and was given the weapon to seize power. In the 1930 presidential elections, Trujillo managed to falsify the voting results, as a result of which he was elected to the presidency, which he held until 1938. Not knowing how to get out of the protracted economic crisis, Trujillo found a "scapegoat". Haitian workers, who allegedly flooded the country without permission, were declared to be the main culprits of the crisis. In fact, thousands of agricultural workers came every year from neighboring Haiti for seasonal work - chopping sugar cane. In October 1937, a real massacre was carried out over them, during which over 20 thousand people died. This action caused a storm of indignation in Haiti, and under pressure from public opinion, Trujillo agreed to "investigate" the causes of the incident. However, an independent commission was not admitted to the scene. Haiti then demanded compensation for its dead citizens at the rate of $ 35 each. The total amount was 750 thousand dollars. Trujillo, expressing his condolences, after a long bargaining, agreed to pay 500 thousand dollars.
After these bloody events, Trujillo considered it possible for himself to interfere in the internal affairs of Haiti. In 1941, with the money of the Dominican dictator and with his help, his longtime acquaintance Eli Lescaut, the former Minister of the Interior and then Ambassador of Haiti to the United States, became President of Haiti. However, by 1944, their relationship had deteriorated sharply. Two presidents-neighbors have turned into mortal enemies. It even went so far that Trujillo tried to organize the assassination of Lescaut, and when this did not work, he published his correspondence with him, from which it followed that the Haitian president had indeed been supported by the president of the Dominican Republic for years. At this time, Trujillo, elected in 1942 with "unanimous" support from the electorate, held the post of president for the second time. The dictator's brutality extended not only to foreign workers, but also to his own people. In 1946, a strike of agricultural workers took place on the La Romagna plantation. All of its members were arrested. However, none of them lived to see the trial. A few days after the arrest, the authorities announced that the organizers of the strike had committed suicide in order to avoid trial.
Rafael Trujillo's undisguised cruelty caused discontent in the country, and in 1952 he handed over the presidency to his brother Hector. The owner of the country, in fact, remained Rafael Leonidas, who retained the post of head of the armed forces. Terror continued to rage. Any dissent ended in a bloody massacre, the political opponents of the dictator disappeared without a trace. In March 1956, Galindez, a Columbia University professor, disappeared in New York after describing Trujillo's crimes in his 750-page dissertation. And after 9 months in the Dominican Republic itself, the American pilot Gerald Murphy disappeared. Only after the death of the dictator under pressure from the Murphy family was the relationship between these events and the participation of Gerald Murphy in the export of Galindes by plane from the United States to the Dominican Republic clarified. On November 25, 1961, three political activists, the Mirabal sisters, were brutally murdered by Trujillo's earlier orders. This day - November 25 - the UN Assembly subsequently (1981) declared the international day for the elimination of violence against women.
But neither extreme cruelty towards the population, nor political assassinations could reduce the intensity of political tension in the country, especially since the intensification of the anti-dictatorial movement in the Dominican Republic in the late 1950s. the fall of the dictatorial regimes of Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba contributed in no small measure. In 1956, an armed uprising broke out, in 1958, with the participation of the military, a conspiracy was organized against Trujillo. All these actions were suppressed with terrible cruelty. In 1959, there was a clash in the country between government troops and the disembarking armed groups of patriotic emigrants. Trujillo blamed the Cubans for preparing these groups. He was not afraid of anyone, he was so intoxicated with power that he appropriated the title of generalissimo and renamed the capital of Santo Domingo to Ciudad Trujillo.
However, his reign was already coming to an end. The dictator is too tired of his bloodthirstiness for the Americans. In August 1960, advisers from the United States arrived in the country. On their recommendation, Hector Trujillo "for health reasons" left the presidency. His place was taken by Vice President Balaguer. Rafael Trujillo himself was appointed the representative of the Dominican Republic to the UN. At the same time, a conspiracy was organized in opposition circles to physically remove the dictator. The operation was taken over by the US CIA. On May 30, 1961, it was successfully completed.
