Haiti National Bank

Here is a picture of Haiti Central Bank Governor, Mr. Charles Castel. He is not concerned Gourde is losing Value.

Charles Castel, Bank of the Republic of Haiti Governor, is responding to worries the Haitian gourde is losing value too quickly. According to him, "There is a gross reserve of $2 billion (US), and $1.2 billion net ". in the state's reserve"

He reports "indicators are not too alarming (but also) . . . we cannot be complacent to say everything is fine . . ." Is this reassuring to Haitians withdrawing money and sending it overseas?

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Here is a picture of Haiti National Bank that was established under the presidency of Lysius Salomon

One of Haiti's past presidents has the legacy of being one of the most productive of the line in the both past and present. He was President Lysius Salomon, who lived from 1815 to 1888, and ruled the country from 1879 until just months before his death. From a wealthy family in Les Cayes, Salomon was privy to a good education that left him with the right background to become Minister of Finance under Faustin Soulouque following a brief exile of his family to Neyba. His role in this capacity would result in his second exile, to Europe, because of the piracy and smuggling that came out of the administration's rule.

When he returned to the country in August of 1879, Salomon was made president, and he made quick work of establishing the National Bank. The following year he was able to resume the debt payment owed by Haiti to France. The early years of his rule saw great advancements in Haiti as he sought to raise the country's productivity and education level, strengthen its overall economy and even boost its army.

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Here is a picture of US Marines boarding the U.S.C Connecticut july 1915 as they are heading to Haiti

In the beginning, following the assassination of Jean Vilbrun Guillaume Sam, a Pro-U.S Haitian President, the U.S President Woodrow Wilson sent a first team of U.S Marines into Haiti on July 28, 1915. They were sent to restore order and maintain political and economic stability in the country. However, in the wake of the First World War, the President Wilson at the same time also wanted to establish U.S dominance in the region by keeping the German settlers away from Haiti. Because, the peasant guerrillas (cocos) from the northern Haiti were heavily burdened with German loans and they wanted the Germans to invade and restore order in the country.

Thus the 19- year U.S. occupation in Haiti began with the landing of 3,000 Marines at Port-au-Prince under the leadership of Admiral William B. Caperton and that continued until 1935. However, prior to that in December 1914, in the fear of foreign intervention, Wilson administration sent U.S. Marines to Haiti who removed $500,000 from the Haitian National Bank for safe keeping in New York.

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