Dominican Republic
Dominican Leader Denies Red Charge
May 17, 1965

SANTO DOMINGO—Hector Florentino Olivarez, one of 53 men considered dangerous Communists by the U.S. Embassy here, lives just around the corner from rebel headquarters.

I was inspecting a captured U.S. paratrooper jeep in front of the headquarters of "provisional Presidente" Francisco Caamano Deno when I was introduced to Florentino.

Speaking very quickly, he invited me to his apartment on Calle Santone just around the corner.

Florentino, 22, doesn't look dangerous. He's slight of build, dark complexioned and sports a thin mustache. He looks like thousands of Latin American university students.

Student, Party Member

And that is what he is—an economics student at the University of Santo Domingo. But he is also a militant member of the 14 de Junio political party, which he describes as a Socialist organization, but which the American Embassy considers an international Communist front.

Florentino smiled wryly when he recalled that American government sources call him a "fervent admirer of Mao Tse-tung."

"One can admire without being taken in," he said.

The obvious questions: "Are you a Communist and are you influential in Caamano's rebel movement," were quickly disposed of.

"No, I'm not a Communist. Yes, there are probably a few Communists involved in the rebel movement—but these are domestic Communists and not imported."

"No, I can't be considered too influential with Caamano. We even belong to different political parties." (Caamano belongs to ex-President Juan Bosch's Dominican Revolutionary Party.)

"How come you live so close to Caamano's headquarters?"

"It's just a coincidence. It used to be the Canadian Embassy just before the rebels took it over, you know."

Florentino's modest ground floor apartment has the romantic look of a Bohemian's pad. Two tastefully done etchings adorn his bedroom. Books are all over the place, from heavy economic tomes to the collected works of Oscar Wilde.

In one corner was a briefcase with protruding papers and a pistol with loose ammunition around it.

Picture of Christ

His sitting room in front, however, is quite different. It is very conservatively furnished and a large picture of Christ is on the wall.

"The list," he said calmly, "was made up during the reign of President Cabral Reid. I was put on it because I was a militant member of the Federation of University Students.

"I'm still an officer in the organization. Students have to agitate in this country to try to improve things. Remember, the Trujillo terror reign lasted a long time."^[*]

Just then sniper rifle bullets cracked in the outside air.

"We'll all die before we let it happen again," he said quietly.

"But I understand you have been to the Communist bloc countries and to Red China," I reminded him, "and that you may be a trained Communist who may help lead a Communist take-over if Caamano's forces win."

"I have never been to those countries," Florentino said. "I was in Bahia, Brazil, in 1963 to attend a seminar of the University Students of Underdeveloped Countries organization. And I attended a similar conference in Paris."

"You admit that there are Communists in the rebel cause," I said. "What about the contention then that the Dominican Republic could become a Cuba?"

"Ridiculous," he said in his quiet intense manner. "Cuba had a Communist party for 30 years before Castro, who of course is a Communist. And Cubans were well organized in labor unions. It was easy for the Communists to take over.

"But the Dominican Republic has not had Communists for that long. The situation is very different."

* Rafael Trujillo was military dictator of the Dominican Republic from 1930 until his assassination in 1961.

Simple, Honest

"What about Caamano and Hector Aristy, said to be the rebel leader's right hand man?"

"Caamano is a simple, honest man who wants nothing but a return to constitutional government, not necessarily under him," Florentino said leaning closer. "Aristy is just an intelligent opportunist, not unlike many politicians. The good thing about him is that he's for the people's rebel movement."

"But do you admit that there are Communists in Caamano's organization?"

Florentino smiled, a tolerant, almost supercilious smile.

"Of course. As Castro himself has said, where did you expect the Communists to go—to (Gen. Elias Wessin y) Wessin's side?"^[*]

"If you're not a Communist, then you must admit that your affinity for communism makes you less than a friend if not an enemy of the United States?"

Florentino leaned back on his bed and began to formulate one of his careful, quiet, intense answers which overflow with impressive but artificial logic.

"I want the Yankees out. I want the illegal junta to be dissolved so that the many Dominicans who want to but are afraid to, can join us."

"I want a return to the constitution of 1963 and a president to be legally elected under it."

"Wanting these things I can't ignore the way the Soviet Union voted in the U.N. on intervention of Yankee troops. And, I can't ignore the way the United States voted and acted."

"If that makes me an enemy of the United States, well?"

"Even if you were right that the Communists here are of a domestic type, are you, as a Dominican who says you're interested in Dominican Sovereignty, not worried about international communism?" I tried again.

"Look," he replied, "the Rockefeller, duPont, General Motors and General Electric organizations are international in nature. They dominate much of the economy of countries."

"It's only natural that there has to be a counterpart for the working class."

"Communism, you mean?"

* General Elias Wessin y Wessin's faction of the Dominican military overthrew the constitutionally elected administration of Juan Bosch in 1963, which led to the civil war and U.S. intervention in 1965.

"Oh, that word again," he said, rising.

We went out into the street. We could still hear sniper fire. Florentino went back to the spot in front of Caamano's headquarters where I had met him.

I went away wishing we had done something to win him to our side.