Evening star., 1961-06-01
Power Fight in Dominican Republic
Seen After SIoying Of Dictotor

Continued From First Page
tai. Another car forced his
to halt. Several shots were
fired from a "handgun." He
was believed to have died in
stantly. His chauffeur was
wounded.
Gen. Trujillo was armed but
probably had no time to de-
fend himself" A crack shot,
the dictator once boasted, THE
man who takes a potshot at
me had better be sure of his
aim. Otherwise he'll be a dead
man."
Seven Reported in Attack
Other sources said seven per-
sons in an automobile made
the attack, that two of the as
sailants were caught or killed
and the other five we're pre-
? sumed to have gotten away.
The story that a Gen. Diaz
led the attackers was also re-
ported by NBC Correspondent
John Hlavacek, who said the
general was believed to have a
personal grudge against the
dictator.
Dominican exiles in Mexico
City said Gen. Diaz was a
career soldier whose sister and
her husband fled to Brazil last
year But Gen. Diaz repeatedly
continued as army, commander
of the country's central zone,
at least until last January.
Communications were broken
with Ciudad Trujillo most of
yesterday but were restored last
night. Dominican cltizens ap-
parently were banned from
leaving the country, and planes
from Ciudad Trujillo had many
empty seats. A tight censor
ship also appeared to be in
force.
Masses Appear Stunned
For the moment the Domin-
lean masses appeared to be
stunned by the removal Of the
man who had dominated their
lives for so long. One report
said, "the people are very sad
the streets are deserted"
All classes Of Dominicans,"
said President Balaguer, land
particularly the poorer classes.
have the inescapable civic duty
to remain more united than
ever. The disappearance of such
a great man is an irreparable
loss to the republic"
Gen. Trujillo-hated by the
Communists, fighting with
Catholics and bitterly de-
nounced by liberals-has been
a storm center of inter-
American relations in recent
years.
Cuba's Fidel Castro once
charged him with financing an /;
invasion to overthrow his re-
gime but the two dictators were
reported lately to have been
drawn together by the United
States opposition to both of
them. For years Gen. Trujillo
enjoyed United States favor be- {
cause Of the stability of his {
regime and later because of '
his strong Communist ,
stand. But in recent years the
United States Government
bowed to the wave of anti {
dictator sentiment in the ]
Americas.
$500 Americans in Area
An estimated $500 American
citizens live in the Dominican /
Republic. Even though the
United States broke off diplo- {
matte relations with the Tru- {
jillo regime, a consulate is
maintained there and reports
reaching Washington said no :
Americans had been harmed as
"a result of the assassination.
At the news of the assaSsina-
ton, Dominican exiles tried to ,
invade their country's con-
sulates in New York and San
Juan and seize control. Police
Subdued them.
Neighboring Haiti, which
shares the island of Hispaniola,
put its army on full alert and
.. closed its interior border. Rela-
.tions have been bad between
the two neighbors since Do
minican forces in 1887 killed
several thousand Haitians in
an invasion.
= Gen. Trujillo died as he
~prophesied he would-still a
dictator. A little over a year
q. ago he told reporter:
You'll know I'm retired
: when you hear I'm dead"
Called Self "BenefactOr"
He rose fast from the rank /
: of the national police to su-
: preme power after working as
a youth in sugar mill and as
y a telegraph operator.
He called himself "bene-
= factor of the fatherland" and
- ruled his 212 million subjects
= with an iron hand, giving them
., economic benefits and stable |
government unusual for Latin
y America while at the same time
= acquiring vast fortunes for
!, himself, his family and friends.
= The Trujillo clique dominated
!. virtually every phase of the So
&, called republics economic life,
: and the generalissimo profited
:. most from it.
: Gen. Trujillo took pride in his
:. dictatorship, contending that