Friday marked the 44th anniversary of the start of the “Revolution of April” in the Dominican Republic. The anniversary was commemorated by numerous political organizations throughout the island. The Revolution sough to return former president Juan Bosch to power. Bosch, who had taken possession as the democratically-elected president of the Republic on February 27, 1963, had been overthrown on September 25 of that year after leading the passage of a new constitution that sought to guarantee labor rights, land reform, and a broad range of social protections and services.
On April 24, 1965, amidst growing discontent, insurgents lead by Colonel Francisco Caamaño removed the governing military junta from power. On April28, the United States, ostensibly to protect foreigners, sent 42,000 marines to the island in Operation Power Pack. U. S. President Lyndon B. Johnson justified the invasion on the grounds that the Dominican Republic was turning into “a second Cuba.”
