In 1963, Juan Bosch became the first democratically elected president of the Dominican Republic. He received over 60% of the national vote. He annoyed the U.S. & the Dominican oligarchy by announcing plans for land reform.

He was removed by a military coup on Sept 25 1963.

"President Kennedy tacitly approved the military coup that deposed him in September 1963, a brief seven months into his term of office."

- E.T. Chester

"U.S. military attache Colonel Fritz Long, along with his colleague, a Colonel Cash, had reportedly been conspiring with representatives of the oligarchy and the militantly anticommunist CEFA group to topple the Bosch government."

- Jan Knippers Black

On April 27, 1965, key officers in the army rebelled, hoping to restore democracy & the rightful winner of the election, Juan Bosch, back in power.

President Johnson sided with the dictatorial junta forces & against the pro-Bosch rebels. The fight soon became a popular rebellion, with the people rising up to fight alongside the rebels.

When the rebels got the upper hand & were about to crush the junta's forces, the U.S. sent in the marines to rescue the fascists & to help crush the rebellion, citing fraudulent pretexts, such as saving American lives & claiming that the rebellion had become Communist controlled.

"The uprising of April 1965 was not led by communists, but it was a genuine popular revolt."

- E.T. Chester

The U.S. released lists as evidence, one of which claimed to name 58 communists known to be participating in the rebellion. Some journalists checked out the list & found that many were actually in prison, not in Santo Domingo or not even in the country. But still, most of the obedient 'free' press went along with the charade that the pro-Bosch rebellion was pro-Castro.

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Sources:

Family Jewels, CIA Memorandum

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB222/family_jewe...

Foreign Relations, 1961-1963, Volume XII, American Republics
The Dominican Republic

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/frus/kennedyjf/xii/35158.htm

FRUS 1964-1968 Volume XXXII

Dominican Republic; Cuba; Haiti; Guyana

http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/44856.pdf

Rag-Tags, Scum, Riff-Raff and Commies: The U.S. Intervention in the Dominican Republic, 1965-1966 - E.T. Chester

The Dominican Republic: Politics and Development in an Unsovereign State - Jan Knippers Black

Dominican Republic: Beyond the Lighthouse - James Ferguson

On power and ideology: the Managua lectures - Noam Chomsky

Turning the Tide - Noam Chomsky

Crisis under the palms, The Washington Post, Jun 27 1965

Are Dominican Rebels Reds, Christian Science Monitor, May 19 1965


Chomsky Perle Debate

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptJc92Zvig8 (less info)