The Marines, Counterinsurgency, and Strategic Culture

146 Chapter 6
Desiderio Arias. Rather than face the Marines head- on, the Dominican general
and those forces loyal to him fled Santo Domingo and holed up in
the interior city of Santiago. Marines brought in reinforcements and in just
under a month succeeded in occupying key coastal towns and ousting Arias
from his stronghold. 30 Most Dominicans kept to the sidelines and out of the
way of the Marines, assuming that the US presence was only temporary and
would end with a new election, which Arias had promised to respect. 31
One by one the candidates that the Dominican Congress put forward for
the presidency were deemed unsuitable by US representatives. When it elected
one of them anyway, the United States imposed severe financial sanctions
and refused to recognize the president- elect. 32 Political overlording of this
sort raised the ire of Dominicans and generated anti- American feeling. These
sentiments only intensified in ensuing months as locals encountered abusive
behavior from the occupying Marines. 33 When, seven months into the occupation,
it became clear that the Dominican Congress was moving to support
Arias in the next round of promised elections, the State Department directed
the Navy to intervene and assume the full powers of government until a “suitable”
candidate could be found. 34 The Dominican Army was disbanded and
disarmed. 35 Marines declared martial law and implemented a comprehensive
military government, which would endure for nearly eight years.
The Marines’ military government was characterized by seemingly contradictory
impulses. The first was an emphasis on order at the expense of
democratic practices. The primary victim was often the press. The military
government enforced strict censorship: Dominicans were fined, abused,
or jailed for even light criticism of the military occupation. 36 The second
impulse was a sincere dedication to do what was good for Dominicans.
Marines engaged in comprehensive public works projects, including reforming
education, building roads and other key infrastructure, improving health
and sanitation, and establishing an apolitical constabulary. The combined
elements of this paternalistic posture meant that the Marines left no doubt
as to their superior station vis-à- vis the indigenous population but also that
they were dedicated to protecting their Dominican charges from predatory
US commercial interests and pleading the Dominican case for favorable
financial arrangements. 37 Marine efforts in economy and finance resulted
in an unprecedented but not long- lasting boost to the Dominican economy.
Although Marine leaders were sincere, the goodwill they generated in
improving the welfare of Dominican citizens at a state level was undermined
by serious abuses of citizens by Marine personnel at the local level.
Five and a half of the Marines’ eight years in the Dominican Republic—from
early 1917 until the middle of 1922—were spent fighting a largely
unsuccessful counterguerrilla campaign against a disparate bunch—some
anti- Americans, some bandits, some unemployed peasants, and some displaced
strongmen from the countryside. This insurgency was not a direct