The Dominican Dictator’s Funds and Guns in Costa Rica’s Wars of 1948

This article reveals how Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo intervened in Costa Rica’s military conflicts in 1948. Previous works have centered upon Central American actors like Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza and Guatemalan president Juan José Arévalo who sought to influence the direction of Costa Rica’s Civil War or the end-of-year invasion into the country. This work applies an international perspective that recognizes the activities of actors throughout the Caribbean Basin. Recently declassified Cuban, Dominican, and Guatemalan sources demonstrate that Somoza and prominent Costa Rican figures, including ex-president Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia, lobbied Trujillo to support their efforts against an alleged network of communist enemies throughout the region, and expose Somoza’s role as a middleman for armaments and funds for the end-of-year invasion.