The 1960s was the height of the Cold War. The names leapt off the pages of newspapers and into history;  Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam, The North Korean infiltration of the ROK, The Pueblo Incident and perhaps the least well known, The US intervention into the Dominican Republic.
 
 

    Since the assassination of the dictator Truijillo in 1961, the situation in the had Dominican was unsure. When Truijllo's family tried to take control of the island following his death, Kennedy deployed the US Navy that November . He made it clear that it was time for Democracy in the Dominican. The Trujillo's were finished. Elections were held for the first time with leftist reformista Juan Bosch winning in a political race that involving 29 parties. He was soon overthrown by a civilian junta called the Triumvirate in 1963. Soon after this government crushed a 100 strong Castroist movement in the mountains that was launched against it by the end of the year. The next year a violent struggle erupted into the streets between two political parties.  The first signs of trouble came when Triumvirate strongman Emilio de los Santos, resigned on December 23, to be replaced by Donald Reid Cabral.
 

 All this changed on April 24th a coup broke out. The National Palace in Santo Domingo was surrounded as was the Government Radio Station. By 3:00 in the afternoon Santo Domingo's streets were filled with looting and lawlessness. Cascos Blancos and the CEFEA tanks briefly retook the Radio Station held by communist agitators to maintain order but; they were simply outnumbered by mobs of (momentarily) unarmed civilians. The revolutionists called them selves Constitutionalists, the movement was a mix of lower ranking officers (and therefore younger), political opposition groups, and the mob on the streets. Some truly hoped that violence would lead to a restoration of 1963 constitution and democracy. Others were communists who had temporarily joined in with  the reformers. However the largest group were mere rioters who took advantage of the weapons being passed out on street corners in the capitol and took up looting with the protection of their new firearms. These weapons passed out to the populace by the rebel forces would prove a problem for Dominicans long after 1965.
   On the 25th David Reid Cabral resigned and left the National Palace to the rebels. Rafael Molina Ureña was installed as their President. The Presidential Guard fell over to the Rebel side. However, the ever loyal CEFEA units slipped out and back to San Isidro suffering only a single wound and and  only a few tanks. The Loyalist forces struck back the following day lead by Elías Wessín y Wessín who as commander of the CEFEA was in charge. Army tanks and aircraft bombed the Palace and a rebel areas. Losing a plane to ground fire. The dictator Reid Cabral had asked for US intervention that same day. The US ambassadors decided to wait it out. However, The influence of the Communist faction worried US President LBJ, while the Constitutionalists had control of the former military men the communist factions continued to arm the people and had control over these mobs.  The loyalists failure to re-capture the capitol left many in Washington wondering if the Constitutionalists would attack other areas throughout the country as looting continued in the capitol.  Johnson put the 82nd and Marines on full-alert and sent a fleet of of 41 vessels to blockade the island.

    Johnson made it clear his intention was to avoid "another Cuba." Twice in the last 6 years communist insurgencies had tried to take the country. Most notably in 1959 when Castro landed a a small guerrilla force too "liberate" the island. It was quickly crushed.. Even Truijillo had flirted with the Soviet Union going so far as to allow Soviet radio broadcasts. Yet the humanitarian and historical concern cannot be over looked, as it has been by many historians.  The country had been embroiled in conflict for much of it's post-Trujillo period and had made little reform. Many Dominicans were starving to death and out of work In the rural countryside the conditions were so bad that some girls were being sold into slavery.
    Historically the Dominican Republic was a strategic interest of the United States. In the post-Civil War era politicians had conspired to make the nation a part of the US.  The US intervention in 1965 was actually the fourth in some 58 years the Marines had intervened to protect Americans and their property.  As a result the Dominican Intervention unfolded not as the Cold War's Dominican crisis but; rather as the opposite. Nevertheless the operation unfolded like a classic modern US operation limited rapidly deployed combined forces achieved their objectives with minimum casualties. Also on the table was Johnson's personal history and the legacy of Kennedy's role in the affairs of the Caribbean. Johnson had personally visited the country in 1963 to attend the inauguration of Juan Bosch. In Johnson's mind the Dominican was sooner or later going to fall into the communist camp unless something was done while that movement was still weak.
 

    On April 27th, USS Boxer, an aircraft carrier evacuated 1,000 American civilians from the island. These Civilians were quickly airlifted to navy ships offshore. Some Marines landed on this day but; were unarmed and only served to help evacuate Americans. At the Hotel Embajador rebel groups lined up Americans and fired rounds over there heads and fired randomly into the hotel's windows. The Loyalists P-51 had silenced the rebel's radio station and the Navy returned to the Loyalist fold with a deadly barrage. Seeing the end Molina Urena abdicated and the true Constitutionalistas were leaving in droves. The Loyalist launched a raid across the Duarte Bridge which met with a group they described as "The defenders that fought like cornered bulls." .  Santo Domingo's position in the free world  seemed unsure as communist groups continued to gain control during this fighting while the moderate military leaders slipped away. The looting and shooting continued.
      On the 28th President Johnson ordered the Marines onto Santo Domingo at 6:53 PM this time with guns at the ready. Earlier that day the Cascos Blancos and a sizable weapons catch at the Ozama barracks fell that day to the rebels as a result the Loyalists asked for American Intervention. On that same day the US, El Salvadoran, and Ecuadorian Embassies had been fired upon by snipers.  Johnson now armed with a legal pre-text sent the remaining Marines ashore. On the 30th, the 82nd Airborne pushed out San Isisdro and moved toward the capitol where it assaulted the Duarte bridge and captured a six city block radius on the other side. The Loyalists guarding the bridge were told to leave by the 82nd to avoid further fighting. The Marines occupied a 9 mile OAS declared International Security Zone and took 2 KIA and 8 wounded.
 

    Gen. Palmer took charge of all ground forces ashore on May 1st and faced a still dangerous situation as the two US forces were still badly separated and the Marines could only be effectively supplied by helicopter or by landing craft. Meanwhile at San Isisdro 90% of America's airlift capacity was be used in the operation.  Thus on the night of May 2nd with OAS and American approval the ambitious operation Blue Chip was launched. The 82nd established a four-bloc corridor from their position at the Duarte Bridge to the ISZ. Loyalist forces were told to wear their caps sideways or backwards to avoid being confused as rebels. Three battalions secured the area by leap-frogging through each other. Only one casualty occurred, due solely friendly fire.
    Now the US forces could maintain contact but; they could also prevent the various Dominican groups from fighting each other and isolated 80% of the rebels in the downtown area. The new corridor also allowed the US to distribute food and water to the populace more effectively as well as give medical assistance. The next few days saw an expansion of the perimeter and little activity on either side. The US Army's forces were restricted in their military behaviors and limited in weaponry. The Dominicans were allowed to pass freely through the checkpoints unarmed, with the exception of Loyalista police.  However the rebels were discovered to e traveling under the checkpoints in the sewers so soon the Army quickly moved to place observers on this system.
    Throughout early May the Army expanded out of Santo Domingo to the countryside where special forces groups food, water and medical attention were delivered by helicopter to remote villages. They also monitored for possible Cuban infiltration(1) The powerful Radio Santo Domingo continued to broadcast rebel propaganda. On May 13th it was bombed by the Loyalistas. However they were so sloppy that a  US Marine and some Loyalistas were accidentally hit. Angered over their wounded comrade Marines, Constitutionalistas, and even some Loyalistas returned fire at the 5 P-51s. Their combined efforts downed one of the WWII -era planes. From then until the 20th the CEFEA conducted operations against the Rebel areas above the corridor eventually capturing the Radio Santo Domingo.  More importantly in the diplomatic sense was the creation of the Government of National Reconstruction or GRN. This government combined some Constitituionalists with some members of the Junta established on the 28th along with a large body of "neutrals" and included a large number of popular Dominican politicians. This body showed signs of actually lasting and the US officially severed ties with the Loyalistas and stopped them from conducting air force or naval operations against the rebels. President Lyndon Johnson was furious about the unhindered Loyalista rampage against the Radio Station in the North of the city and ordered all support to the Loyalistas to stop the US was to be officially  neutral. More importantly by this time US force commitment had peaked on May 10th  with 22,500 by the end of the month the number was dropped as they were replaced by the IAPFers.
 

    By June 6th the US forces were down to 12,000 and no Marines remained on the island.  By mid-June the IAPF had occupied the National Palace and patrolled the communications "corridor." There had been small firefights as the rebels probed their lines all leading up to an expected confrontation on June 14th a national holiday. The predicated rebel offensive was one day late; it started  7:30 AM on June 15th. The Corridor bore the brunt of the offensive. Initially the US troops did not return fire but; soon they were fully engaged in the action as the Latin American Brigade and the 82nd Airborne fought hard. The rebels had carefully place HMGs, Mortars and even their tanks with 37mm Cannon. The US forces pushed south and captured 56 square city blocks and including some valuable positions(2) in house-to-house fighting but; they were ordered by Gen. Bruce Palmer to halt and reduce their position by 16 blocks. After all the US was officially neutral in the civil war. The fighting continued until the next day, however as Caaman~o lacked full control of the rebels. The Latin Americans had not advanced but; merely returned fire for which they had suffered 5 Brazilian WIA. The US had lost 5 killed and 36 wounded.  The rebels had lost many of there best men suffering around 100 casualties. For the next few days they continued to probe the Brazilian positions with rock throwing and gunfire. But; the Brazilians kept calm. Operations were stagnant during the rest of the  summer.
    By early fall Gen. Wessin finally left the country and CEFEA ceased to threaten democracy. Bosch returned and tried to continue to organize an underground rebellion with little success. On October 15th the perimeter came down and many ex-soldier rebels had voluntarily abandoned their positions in the capitol for  a  special camp were they could be re-integrated into the army. About 1200 armed rebels remained  in the capitol at this time and firefights occasionally broke-out. On the 25th of October the IAPF pushed on from their positions into the heart of downtown. The psychological effect of the M48 Pattons crushed morale and without a casualty, the rebel's nation within a nation had been crushed.  By the end of the month the Tanks had been withdrawn and life was being returned to normal in the capitol. Small fire-fights between groups of armed Dominicans continued to develop but; peace was returning.  On June 1st, 1966 the national elections were held right on schedule and soon the IAPF the first  Inter-American peacekeeping force of it's kind was disbanded.
 
 

(1) The CIA revealed to Johnson that the month before the coup about 100 Cuban, Chinese or Soviet trained agitators had entered the Dominican Republic. Doubling the number of such individuals in the country.
(2) including the oldest museum in the Americas and the hospital
 july tanks go home

Pictures of the Intervention can be found here:
 
 

Several things were accomplished by the intervention:
    1) no communist government took hold.
    2) The OAS was strengthened.
    3)  Precedent  of  Latin America working together was established
    4) Democracy was returned to the nation again.
    5) Humanitarian aid was distributed to the poverty stricken Dominicans.