US-Grenada Relations Other works by Gary Williams “Brief Encounter: Grenadian Prime Minister Maurice Bishop’s Visit to Washington.” Journal of Latin American Studies 34, no. 3 (August 2002). “A Matter of Regret: Britain, the 1983 Grenada Crisis, and the Special Relationship.” Twentieth Century British History 12, no. 2 (2001): 208–230. Review of Silencing the Guns in Haiti: The Promises of Deliberative Democracy by Irwin P. Stotzky. Bulletin of Latin American Research 18, no. 2 (1999): 255–256. “Prelude to an Intervention: Grenada 1983.” Journal of Latin American Studies 29, no. 1 (February 1997): 131–169. “The Tailed That Wagged the Dog: The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States’ Role in the 1983 Intervention in Grenada.” European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies 61 (December 1996): 95–115. US-Grenada Relations Revolution and Intervention in the Backyard

Gary Williams US-GRENADA RELATIONS Copyright © Gary Williams, 2007. Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2007 978-1-4039-7390-0 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

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ISBN 978-1-349-53456-2 ISBN 978-0-230-60995-2 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9780230609952 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Williams, Gary. US-Grenada relations: revolution and intervention in the backyard / by Gary Williams. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. United States—Foreign relations—Grenada. 2. Grenada—Foreign relations—United States. 3. United States—Foreign relations—1977–1981. 4. United States—Foreign relations—1981–1989. 5. Grenada—Politics and government—20th century. 6. Grenada—History—American Invasion, 1983. 7. Intervention (International law)—History—20th century. 8. United States—Foreign relations—Caribbean Area. 9. Caribbean Area—Foreign relations—United States. I. Title.

E183.8.G84W55 2007 327.730729845—dc22 2007019809

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

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First edition: December 2007

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Table of Contents

List of Illustrations vi Acknowledgments vii List of Abbreviations xi Introduction 1 1 United States’ Intervention in the Caribbean Basin 5 2 Prelude to a Revolution 21 3 Not in Anybody’s Backyard: The Carter Years 33 4 Splashing Dominoes: The Reagan Years 55 5 Death of a Revolution: Prelude to an Intervention 77 6 Days of Decision 101 7 Planning an Intervention 131 Conclusion 163 Epilogue “A Lovely Piece of Real Estate”: Rebuilding Grenada 175 Appendix 1 Talking Points for Ambassador Ortiz, April 10, 1979 179 Appendix 2 Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States’ Request for US Assistance in Grenada 181 Appendix 3 Letter from the Governor-General of Grenada to the Prime Minister of Barbados 183 Appendix 4 Dramatis Personae: March 1979–October 1983 185 Notes 191 Bibliography 261 Index 291 List of Illustrations

Maps Map of Grenada ix Map of Central America and the Caribbean x

Photographs

Satellite photograph of Point Salines International Airport used by President Reagan during his March 23, 1983, Strategic Defense Initiative speech 127 The top square inside Fort George where Prime Minister Bishop and his colleagues were executed by a firing squad against the stone wall on the right 127 The National Security Planning Group meeting, October 23, 1983 128 President Ronald Reagan of the United States of America and Prime Minister Eugenia Charles of Dominica at a White House press conference take questions having announced the US-Caribbean intervention in Grenada, October 25, 1983 128 US soldiers on patrol in Grenada 129 Two of the People’s Revolutionary Army’s armed personnel carriers that took part in the “Bloody Wednesday” massacre lie immobilized. 129 St. George’s University students are evacuated from Point Salines airport, October 26, 1983 130 A relic of the revolutionary years—an abandoned Cuban airplane rusts away at the side of the runway at Pearls airport. 130 Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the many individuals and organizations that made this study possible. The willingness of the participants in the Grenada story to share their time and recollections of distant events has been invaluable. I would par- ticularly like to express my gratitude to Langhorne “Tony” Motley, Larry Rossin, John Kelly, the late Milan Bish, Peter Bourne, and Meg Conlon. This study has benefited from the assistance of many colleagues in discussing Grenada, reading draft chapters, and providing useful suggestions and encour- agement: Paul Sutton, Robert Beck, John Walton Cotman (who kindly allowed me access to his research interview transcripts), Mitch Leventhal, Richard Loppnow, and Ann Wilder. All have played their part in contributing to the final study. In addition I would like to acknowledge the financial support provided toward this project by the Economic and Social Research Council and the British Academy. I would also like to thank staff at the Library of Congress, National Security Archive, and Ronald Reagan Presidential Library for their assistance. Last, but not least, I would like to thank my parents who have always been supportive, encouraging, and understanding of my fascination, or perhaps obsession, with a small island in the Caribbean. I gratefully acknowledge permission from the following publications in which portions of chapters 5, 6, and 7 previously appeared: Journal of Latin American Studies, “Prelude to an Intervention: Grenada 1983” (February 1997) Twentieth Century British History, “‘A Matter of Regret’: Britain, the 1983 Grenada Crisis, and the Special Relationship” (2001) Journal of Latin American Studies, “Brief Encounter: Grenadian Prime Minister Maurice Bishop’s Visit to Washington” (August 2002) Acknowledgment also goes to CEDLA (Centre for Latin American Research and Documentation) for European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies/Revista Europea de Estudio Latinoamericanos y del Caribe, “The Tail That Wagged the Dog: The viii ● Acknowledgments

Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States’ Role in the 1983 Intervention in Grenada” (December 1996) The photographs appearing in this book are courtesy of the author, the Department of Defense, and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Map of Grenada Map of Central America and the Caribbean List of Abbreviations

AID [US] Agency for International Development ATF [US] Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms BDF Barbados Defence Force CARICOM Caribbean Community CBI Caribbean Basin Initiative CC Central Committee CDB Caribbean Development Bank CIA Central Intelligence Agency CINCLANT Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic CPPG Crisis Pre-Planning Group DIA Defense Intelligence Agency FCO Foreign and Commonwealth Office GMMWU Grenada Manual and Mental Workers Union GNP Grenada National Party GPP Grenada People’s Party GULP Grenada United Labor Party IMF International Monetary Fund JCS Joint Chiefs of Staff JEWEL Joint Endeavour for Welfare, Education and Liberation LIAT Leeward Islands Air Transport MACE Movement for the Advancement of Community Efforts MAP Movement for the Assemblies of People MAU Marine Amphibious Unit NAM Non-Aligned Movement NDC National Democratic Congress NEO Non-Permissive Evacuation Operation NJM New Jewel Movement NNP New National Party NSC National Security Council NSDD National Security Decision Directive xii ● List of Abbreviations

NSPG National Security Planning Group OAS Organization of American States OECS Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States OREL Organisation for Revolutionary Education and Liberation PB Political Bureau PRA People’s Revolutionary Army PSIA Point Salines International Airport PRG People’s Revolutionary Government RFG Radio Free Grenada RIG Restricted Inter-Agency Group RMC Revolutionary Military Council RSS Regional Security System SDI Strategic Defense Initiative SGU St. George’s University Medical School SSG Special Situations Group TNP The National Party TRC [Grenada] Truth and Reconciliation Commission UN United Nations UPP United People’s Party WIAS West Indies Associated States WINBAN Windward Islands Banana Association