Act Now

The United States is in a position to do something about the militarist coup in the Dominican Republic, but it must act swiftly. There is still hope for an orderly transition to democratic forms of rule in that unhappy country. Another year, and the chance may be lost.

The caretaker government of Joaquin Balaguer has fallen to a civilian-military juntaof ex-Trujillo supporters led by an Air Force general, Rodriguez Echavarria. Echavarria has been openly opposing free elections and the inclusion of liberal, moderate opposition forces in the new government. The ousted Balaguer had been associated with the Trujillo dictatorship, but had promised to step down on the 27th of this month and permit free elections.

Since the leaders of the opposition National Civic Union are now under arrest, it is clear that this is a coup aimed at forestalling democratic elections in the country. The nation's calm these past weeks belies the junta's claim that Communists were about to sieze power.

The United States is already deeply involved in the Dominican crisis, and should have few qualms about intervening. It no longer has a choice whether to use its power--which in this case is economic--it has only the choice of how to use its power. Its weapon is non-recognition.

Under the Sugar Act, the Kennedy Administration has the right to give sugar allotments that would once have gone to Cuba to other sugar growing nations. Balaguer's government, among others, had been promised an increase in the Dominican Republic's sugar quota amounting to $45 million. In its present state, the country needs the money badly.

But one of the terms of the Act is that allotments can only be given to countries the U.S. recognizes. Immediate withdrawal of recognition is therefore a powerful economic weapon the U.S. can use to force the new junta to permit elections. The alternative, recognizing this militarist government, would amount to supporting it financially--an intolerable position.

But the United States must act now. The Dominican Republic is one of the few dictatorships where there are able opposition leaders capable of giving the country moderate rule. And there is still unrest enough for them to stir up popular demonstrations and even a general strike against the government. If the gangsters of the Trujillo era have time to consolidate their power, it will be too late.