Also known as: Forbes Commission, W. Cameron Forbes Commission, President's Commission for Study and Review of Conditions in the Republic of Haiti
Last updated: April 26, 2026
After the Aux Cayes massacre triggered international condemnation, President Herbert Hoover appointed the Forbes Commission, headed by former Philippines governor W. Cameron Forbes, which arrived in Port-au-Prince on February 28, 1930. The commission arranged the removal of the American high commissioner, cleared the way for control-free elections, and helped manage the political transition from the Borno regime to Sténio Vincent. It marked not repentance but managed retreat, with Forbes praising material occupations accomplishments while expressing pessimism about Haitian democracy after withdrawal.
argued rapid debt retirement may have been worse than reducing export taxes and letting debt run its term, keeping more money in Haiti
Schmidt's summary of Forbes Commission criticism. Should be checked against the commission report in a later primary-source pass.
The Forbes Commission was sent in response to the 1929-1930 crisis that ended his presidency and began the occupation's transition toward withdrawal.
The Forbes Commission's 1930 report created the political opening that allowed Vincent to rise by recommending the end of direct American administrative control and the transition to Haitian governance.
Forbes Commission 1930
The massacre's international scandal forced Hoover to appoint the commission
The commission investigated conditions during the U.S. occupation
The commission's recommendations shaped the political process that produced the 1933 accord
The commission arrived at Port-au-Prince on February 28, 1930
The corvée regime was among the occupation abuses the commission investigated
Forbes Commission 1930
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"Forbes Commission 1930." 1930. Rasin.ai, 2026. https://rasin.ai/connections/events/forbes-commission-1930. Accessed 2026-05-05.