In April 1965, which Caribbean nation did President Johnson hope to prevent a Communist regime from taking power by sending in 20,000 U.S. marines?
1 Answer
The Dominican Republic.
Explanation:
On April 28th, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson sent 22,000 U.S. troops over to the Dominican Republic. Rafael Trujillo was the current dictator of the island nation, until his assassination in 1961. Due to his anticommunist ideals, the United States favored him as a leader.
However, a new leader, Juan Bosch, was elected after the assassination of Trujillo. Unlike the previous dictator, Bosch was more on the side of communism, supporting Fidel Castro, the leader of communist Cuba, and his ideas. Bosch's policies were disliked by the Dominican military, who overthrew him in 1963.
On April 24th, 1965, the people of the Dominican Republic revolted against the current military-led government, demanding that Bosch be put into power again. 4 days later, President Johnson sent troops over to the nation to stop the revolts. In the end, the United States had successfully placed Joaquin Balaguer in power, instead of Bosch.
For more information, go to:
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/u-s-troops-land-in-the-dominican-republic
