The Inter-American Peace Force (IAPF) (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: ''Fuerza Interamericana de Paz'', FIP) was a

peacekeeping Peacekeeping comprises activities, especially military ones, intended to create conditions that favor lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed w ...

force in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

from several countries from the Americas that was formed towards the end of the

Dominican Civil War The Dominican Civil War (), also known as the April Revolution (), took place between April 24, 1965, and September 3, 1965, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It started when civilian and military supporters of the overthrown democraticall ...

. It was established by the Organization of American States (OAS) on 23 May 1965 following the United States' initial intervention in the war. Brazil later assumed command from the United States in 1966 and in 1967, the IAPF was ultimately disbanded.

Background

The United States deployed armed forces to the Dominican Republic on 28 April 1965 following the outbreak of civil war. The OAS demanded a ceasefire on 29 April 1965 after being convened by the request of the United States.

Creation

On 1 May 1965, the OAS responded to the rapid deterioration of stability during the Dominican Civil War, putting forth a proposal to create a peacekeeping force for the Americas. The OAS requested that Brazil to name a Commanding General for the force and the United States to decide a Deputy Commanding General; Brazil chose Hugo Panasco Alvim to head the operation while the United States named

Bruce Palmer Jr. Bruce Palmer Jr. (13 April 1913 – 10 October 2000) was a General (United States), general in the United States Army. He commanded the XVIII Airborne Corps during Operation Power Pack, the II Field Force, Vietnam during the Vietnam War, and was ...

to be his deputy general. Colonel Julio Gutierrez of Nicaragua was chosen to be the

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

Mission

According to the 6 May 1965 resolution of the Organization of American States, the IAPF's mission was the following:

Act Establishing the IAPF

The act was signed by the Secretary-General of the OAS, Dr.

José Antonio Mora José Antonio Mora Otero (22 November 1897 – 26 January 1975) was a Uruguayan lawyer and diplomat. Antonio Mora served as the secretary general of the Organization of American States between 16 January 1956 and 18 May 1968. Before retiri ...

as well as the commanders of Brazil, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua and the United States.

Member states

The following troops were sent by each country at their greatest numbers: * – 42,600 * – 1,130 * – 250 * – 184 * – 160 * – 21

military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. Not to be confused with civilian police, who are legally part of the civilian populace. In wartime operations, the military police may supp ...

* – 3 staff officers

Actions

Upon arriving in the Dominican Republic in late-May 1965, IAPF troops were immediately tasked with securing the

National Palace Buildings called National Palace include: *National Palace (Dominican Republic), in Santo Domingo * National Palace (El Salvador), in San Salvador * National Palace (Ethiopia), in Addis Ababa; also known as the Jubilee Palace * National Palace (Guat ...

that had been plagued by shootings. The next task was securing key infrastructure areas, including the infamous Duarte Bridge, in order to restore normalcy to residents of the city. During the 1966 Dominican Republic general election, IAPF troops provided security for those voting. The peacekeeping force would later disband in 1967.

Reactions

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the Executive branch of the United States government, executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks f ...

Hubert Humphrey Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American politician who served from 1965 to 1969 as the 38th vice president of the United States. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Minnesota from 19 ...

stated "This extraordinary and heroic action, the creation of the Inter-American Peace Force, will live in the history of our world and our time. ... I look at this great force here – small in number but great in importance – as a symbol of peace and not of violence. You have helped to save lives, you have helped a nation to survive".

Norman Thomas Norman Mattoon Thomas (November 20, 1884 – December 19, 1968) was an American Presbyterian religious minister, minister, political activist, and perennial candidate for president. He achieved fame as a socialism, socialist and pacifism, pacifis ...

, then president of the

Socialist Party of America The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a socialist political party in the United States formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party of America ...

speaking about the 1966 Dominican Republic general election that was maintained by IAPF troops, said "During the period of the voting the opinion of the observers with whom I spoke was that they were carried out very well. There was no violence nor obvious evidence of fraud during the process of depositing the votes. Our observers were treated cordially".

References

82nd Airborne History Page
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923160222/http://www.bragg.army.mil/history/HistoryPage/powerpack/PowerPack.htm , date=23 September 2009 – Operation Power Pack: A "Road" Test for the 82nd Airborne Division * Warnock, A. Timothy. ''Dominican Crisis: Operation POWER PACK. Short of War: Major USA Contingency Operations'' edited by A. Timothy Warnock. Air Force History and Museums Program, 2000. pp 63–74.

reportage from SGM Herbert A. Friedman (ret) Organization of American States

Power Pack Power Pack is a superhero team consisting of four young siblings appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Louise Simonson and artist June Brigman, they first appeared in their own series in 1984, which las ...

Multinational units and formations 1965 in the Dominican Republic Conflicts in 1965 Anti-communist organizations Cold War military history of the United States id:Operasi Power Pack