Dominican Republic: Homecoming

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The dark, window-curtained sedan sped away from the airport toward Santo Domingo, darting through traffic and stepping up to 95 m.p.h. on the straightaway. The city's war damage was barely visible in the blur. Minutes later, the car drew up at a grey stucco house on tree-lined Avenida Maximo Gomez. Joaquin Balaguer, 57, a onetime Trujillo functionary who served as President of the Dominican Republic from 1960 to 1962, was returning home after more than three years of enforced exile—and introduced a new element into the deadlocked situation.

With the grudging permission of General Antonio Imbert Barreras, leader of the loyalist junta that controls most of the country, Balaguer flew back to his troubled country to be with his 83-year-old mother, who was dying of bronchial pneumonia. There were other reasons as well. Hardly had he arrived than old political cronies began flocking around him. Meeting with newsmen later, Balaguer said that the OAS peace plan, calling for a provisional government with elections in six to nine months, was "excellent." He then announced his own candidacy—not as part of any provisional government, but for the full-fledged presidency in the later elections. "It is tense and unpleasant here," said Balaguer. "The people are anxious to get this settled. I feel that they are with me."

Old Stain. It was curious that anyone identified with the Trujillo days could think of the people as being with him. But after 2½ months of stalemated civil war, the tired little country was desperately in search of a unifying leader. For obvious reasons, the OAS had ruled out the two chief antagonists, Imbert and Colonel Francisco Caamano Deno, head of the rebel forces, still holed up in downtown Santo Domingo. Nor was there any thought of a comeback for Donald Reid Cabral, the well-meaning but politically inept auto dealer whose government fell in the initial coup; last week he left the Dominican Republic, saying that he was going to London to talk with car manufacturers. Reid's predecessor, ex-President Juan Bosch, in whose name the revolution was launched, was still sitting in Puerto Rico, making no move to return.

As for Balaguer, Dominicans know him as the best of the old Trujillo crowd. A writer, professor (of law) and intellectual, Balaguer was installed as Trujillo's puppet President in 1960, and continued governing the country with Trujillo's son Ramfis after el Benefactor was slain in May 1961. When Ramfis himself fled the country six months later, Balaguer managed to hang on eight more weeks before being ousted by a military coup. In the preceding months, Balaguer had won a reputation for reasonable honesty, sound administration and square dealing.

Still the Trujillo stain remains, and there is plenty of opposition to Balaguer. Junta Leader Imbert, one of the two survivors among the four men who assassinated Trujillo, is grimly opposed to Balaguer's candidacy. But Imbert's officers are softening, and many other Dominicans see Balaguer as a unifying force. In the rebel camp, Caamano said that "Balaguer is a Dominican. He has a right to be here." Even Bosch politicos praise Balaguer as "democratic."