For more than 100 years, key parts of Dominican and American history have been hidden. The U.S. occupations of 1916–1924 and 1965–1966 shaped both nations, yet the full record is still locked away in archives, scattered, or blacked out. These occupations were ordered under President Woodrow Wilson (1916) and President Lyndon B. Johnson (1965). For over a century, the Dominican people have been denied the truth about how these decisions were made and who benefited. This petition calls on the United States to open the complete record and place it permanently at the National Archives, honoring American transparency and Dominican sovereignty.

What is at stake?

Whether future generations inherit facts or fragments. We’re asking for three practical steps that can be done now under current rules and budgets.

What we ask

1) Executive Branch: coordinate declassification and public release

Start a focused review and release records in batches for 1916–1924 and 1965–1966.
At minimum, include: State Department, Defense/Joint Chiefs/Services, CIA, USAID, White House/NSC, LBJ Library, and U.S. files on OAS/UN coordination.
Move releasable records to NARA for permanent public access.
Narrow, necessary redactions only (privacy or true security risks).
Where something must stay redacted, add a short note showing the legal reason and the last review date.
Put everything on one central NARA page, with a simple search and downloadable files.

2) Congress: a bipartisan Sense of Congress

State clearly that the 1965–1966 intervention ordered by President Lyndon B. Johnson clashed with normal congressional oversight, and that publishing the full record serves the U.S. public interest and an accurate history for Dominicans.

3) Congress: a focused inquiry and public report

• Ask the Foreign Affairs/Relations and Intelligence Committees to gather the record, hold public briefings when possible, publish a public report, and ensure permanent placement at NARA.
  Scope to review (plain terms):
• Who decided what (White House/NSC orders, legal memos, rules of engagement).
  Intelligence & messaging, including the “303 Committee.”
• Diplomacy: State cables/memos; coordination with OAS/UN.
• Elections & politics (1965–1966): any support, funding approvals, media/psych operations, and post-election posture.
• Civil liberties impacts: curfews, arrests, detainees, and any U.S. actions that affected speech or travel (for example, efforts to stop “Mrs. Bosch” from speaking in Washington).
  USIA/media guidance and after-action/legacy files.
• Follow-on oversight: public briefings when possible; send any proven problems to Inspectors General; ask GAO to check compliance; publish an unclassified summary (with any classified annex handled under committee rules).
• Public input & whistleblowers: create a public submissions portal for families, journalists, and researchers, and confirm protected channels for whistleblowers under current law.

Why act now?

Every year these files stay closed, rumor replaces history. Opening them is both a duty and a simple fix.

We are not asking for reparations or blame. We ask for full declassification, a clear public statement, and permanent placement at NARA—all possible now, with existing authority and funds, and no action required by the Dominican government.

How you can help

Sign and share with 5 people—Dominicans and Americans who care about getting the record straight.