Answer: Trujillo developed an obsessive personal hatred of Betancourt and supported numerous plots by Venezuelan exiles to overthrow him.
Explanation: Known as “El Jefe,” or “The Chief,” Rafael Trujillo ruled as dictator of the Dominican Republic for more than 30 years. During this time, more than 50,000 people were killed under Trujillo’s oppressive and corrupted regime. He was assassinated in 1961, less than a year after Ambassador Joseph Farland left the Dominican Republic. Farland served as Ambassador to the Dominican Republic from 1957 to 1960. His career also included positions in Panama, Pakistan, and Iran. In these oral history excerpts, he discusses his frequent meetings with the dictator and his delicate support for the underground. He was interviewed by Charles Stuart Kennedy beginning in 2000. You can read the account of Trujillo’s assassination and the Dominican Civil War, which followed soon after.