Rafael Trujilo and Paul Magloire (1951)

This rare photograph shows Dominican strongman Rafael Trujillo (right) and Haitian President Paul Magloire (left ) at a meeting. The Dominican Republic and Haiti had a long history of conflict and disputes. Attempts at unifying the whole island were made in the 19th century. The Dominican War of Independence lasted between 1844 to 1856. Hostility remained between the two countries. Both nations struggled with dictatorships and erratic transfers of power. The Trujillo regime used Haitians as scapegoats to increase nationalist sentiment and undermine political opposition. One of the regime’s worst crimes was the Parsley massacre in 1937. Trujillo ordered the ethnic cleansing of Haitians living in the northwestern frontier of the Dominican Republic. President Paul Magloire’s visit in 1951 was a means of improving damaged relations between the two countries . This was met with criticism among those who were knowledgeable about Trujillo’s atrocities. Magloire was the first president of Haiti to get elected by universal suffrage. The Magloire presidency was more democratic in comparison to the government in the Dominican Republic. Attempting to improve diplomatic relations would not be possible as long as Trujillo’s regime engaged in acts of racial discrimination. Antihaitianismo was an oppressive policy directed not only at Haitians in the Dominican Republic, but Afro-Dominicans as well. The democratic experiment would in Haiti with Paul Magloire’s exit from office in 1956. Rafael Trujillo was assassinated in 1961.