Coup Atlas Research Database
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04201281960ConspiracyDissident coup

Dominican Republic, 1960 — dissident coup conspiracy

Dominican Republic (DOM)Caribbean, AmericasJanuary 28, 1960

Event Summary

The dataset records an event coded as a dissident conspiracy in the Dominican Republic on 28 January 1960, corresponding to the discovery and repression of the 14th of June Movement (1J4). Founded by Manolo Tavarez Justo and the Mirabal sisters (Las Mariposas) and named for the failed June 1959 exile invasion, the clandestine movement of middle-class activists planned to overthrow the dictator Rafael Trujillo in January 1960. Trujillo received word of the plot and cracked down: hundreds of 1J4 members were rounded up and tortured, and Minerva and Maria Teresa Mirabal were jailed from 22 January 1960.

This wave of repression culminated in the murder of the three Mirabal sisters on 25 November 1960, which in turn galvanized the political insurrection that led to Trujillo's own assassination in May 1961.

Researched Details

Researched

Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.

Target identified in Coup Atlas research: Trujillo crushed the 1J4 plot, but the ensuing repression helped precipitate his 1961 assassination
RESEARCHED NAME
Key figures
Rafael Trujillo (Dominican dictator, target)
Manolo Tavarez Justo and the Mirabal sisters (1J4 founders and plotters)
The 14th of June Movement (clandestine resistance organization)

Sources

In January 1960, Trujillo cracked down on his opponents, charging that they were engaged in a conspiracy to overthrow him.
SOURCE REVIEWED U.S. State Department, FRUS 1958-60 vol. V open source ↗
The Mirabal sisters and others joined the 14th of June Movement, which planned to assassinate Trujillo in January 1960; the plan was uncovered and movement members fled or were imprisoned, and many were killed.
SOURCE REVIEWED Chicago Public Library, About Trujillo open source ↗
Minerva Mirabal was first jailed in January 1960 at the start of the wave of repression in which hundreds of 1J4 members were rounded up and tortured; she and Maria Teresa were incarcerated from 22 January to 7 February 1960.
SOURCE REVIEWED Wikipedia, Mirabal sisters open source ↗

Editorial Note

Near-exact date match: the coded 28 January 1960 falls within the January 1960 crackdown on the 14th of June Movement (arrests began 22 January). Well documented. First Dominican Republic record in the dataset run.

Cross-Reference

Only one dataset carries it. One of the three reference datasets we check against carries this event; the others do not list it. That is not a contradiction — the datasets cover different periods and use different thresholds — but it means the record has had less outside corroboration.

Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:

Cline Center id
04201281960

How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.

Outcome and Target

Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: Trujillo crushed the 1J4 plot, but the ensuing repression helped precipitate his 1961 assassination.

Baseline coding: Plot discovered and disrupted before execution. Recorded leader fate: remained in office; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.

Baseline Dataset Citation

Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset, v2.2.2
Peyton, Buddy, Joseph Bajjalieh, Michael Martin, and Andrea Gerald. 2026. Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset. Cline Center for Advanced Social Research. V.2.2.2. February 17. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. doi: 10.13012/B2IDB-9651987_V10
⚑ This citation establishes the coded baseline record; use the claim-level sources above for the researched narrative.

Baseline Source-Document Entries

Chicago Daily Tribune

“Report Anti-Trujillo Plot Is Smashed; 1,000 Seized,” January 28, 1960

Christian Science Monitor

“Widespread Conspiracy Reported Smashed by Trujillo,” January 29, 1960

New York Herald Tribune

“Arrest of 1,000 in Dominican Republic Plot is Denied,” January 29, 1960

New York Times

“Trujillo Said to Foil Plot By Jailing at Least 1,000,” by William J Jorden, January 29, 1960

Washington Post, Times Herald

“Plot Against Trujillo is Reported Smashed,” January 29, 1960

This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →

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