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ANTONIO IMBERT BARRERA RESCUED
He did so. On Calle Santiago, just before Calle Máximo Gómez, there suddenly came a VW beetle
from the Military Intelligence Service (SIM), those infamous “caliés.” Antonio Imbert believed that
they had located him, and he told Dad that he was going to face them ... Dad told him that he was
crazy! When we reached Máximo Gómez, the VW turned the corner, and Dad continued to where
Mario Cavagliano was.
On June 2, when the children of Uncle Antonio and Aunt Guachy had arrived home, Dad realized that
a SIM agent had been placed in front of our neighbor’s house, the Gutiérrez family. Dad understood
full well that having Antonio Imbert’s children in his house would create a dangerous situation given
the fact that he had hidden him and quickly, without explaining anything to Mom, and demanded that
he return Uncle Antonio’s children to his home. Mom was oblivious to the reasons why he would
make such a demand, but she went to Aunt Guachy to deliver the children. Aunt Guachy told my
mother that “he was the last person from whom you’d expect something like this,” as they looked at
each other, tears in their eyes from the anguish. Dad naturally managed to divert attention from the
entire situation.
The arrival of Antonio Imbert Barrera at the Italian Consulate in Francisco Rainieri’s car on the night of
June 2, 1961 was narrated in detail by Mario Cavagliano Broglia, Dirce Strozzi de Cavagliano, and their daugh-
ter, Liliana Cavagliano de Peña, on page three of the newspaper
El Siglo
( June 3, 1997): “The Family that As-
sumed the Calling of Protecting the Persecuted,” written by Claudia Fernández. The Cavagliano family gave
refuge, at different times and under different administrations, to Guido Emilio (Yuyo) D’Alessandro Tavárez,
Manuel Aurelio (Manolo) Tavárez Justo, Silvestre Antonio Guzmán Fernández (who later served as president),
and the leader, José Francisco Peña Gómez. A mention of their contributions is made in the chapter on Italian
Families in Santo Domingo.
ENDNOTES
1
Dr. Manuel Antonio Durán Barrera was the son of Luis Feder-
ico Durán de la Concha and Adelina Mercedes Barrera Steinkopf,
aunt of General Imbert Barrera. Dr. Durán was the great-grand-
son of Juan Tomás Eleuterio de la Concha López, a Trinitarian,
independence hero and martyr of the country.
2
Dr. Gladys de los Santos Noboa, the first dentist of San Juan de
la Maguana, was the daughter of Juan Justo (Chuchú) de los San-
tos Orozco and Dolores Eduviges Noboa Batista, sister of Clara
Luz, wife of Dr. Durán, and half sister of the future member of
the Triumvirate that would govern the country, Lic.
3
Guarina Mercedes Tessón Hurtado, wife of Antonio Imbert
Barrera. She died on February 15, 1970 in the Dominicana de Avi-
ación plane crash, along with her daughter Leslie and her sister-
in-law Aída Imbert Barrera Domínguez.
4
Urania Mueses Pereyra, wife of Luis Salvador Estrella Sadahlá,
one of the conspirators in the execution, and her children Pedro
Luis Salvador and Carmen Elly.
5
Mario Cavagliano Broglia, Italian Consul, and his wife Dirce
Strozzi.
6
Camilo Horacio Suero Marranzini, nephew of Uncle Julián,
and first cousin of Rhina Suero Marranzini, who was the daugh-
ter of Uncle Julián. Camilo Suero Moquete was a dentist and
union leader in San Juan de la Maguana. Angela Peña wrote
about him in her piece “En Defensa de su Padre” (In Defense of
his Father), which appeared in the newspaper
Hoy
on May 15,
2011.