The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago: From Crown Colony to National Security State Aaron Barcant A Thesis in The Individualized Program between the disciplines: History, Economics, and Geography. Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts (INDI) at Concordia University Montreal, Quebec, Canada April 2018 ©Aaron Barcant. 2018. CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY School of Graduate Studies This is to certify that the thesis prepared By: Aaron Barant Entitled: The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago: From Crown Colony to National Security State and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Individualized Program) complies with the regulations of the University and meets the accepted standards with respect to originality and quality. Signed by the final examining committee: ______________________________________ Chair Sandra Chang-Kredl ______________________________________ Examiner Kari Polanyi Levitt ______________________________________ Examiner Ted Rutland ______________________________________ Thesis Supervisor(s) Elena Razgolova Approved by ______________________________________________________ Chair of Department or Graduate Program Director ___________ 2018 _________________________________________ Dean of Faculty Abstract The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago: From Crown Colony to National Security State Aaron Barcant, M. A. Concordia University, 2018 This thesis examines the manifestation of a national security state in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) that emerged in the context of decolonization, during the period between 1946 and 1978, when the country achieved internal self-government, independence, and, finally, became a republic. The T&T national security state developed from its roots in British Crown Colony rule, however the concept of the “national security state” was originally derived from an analysis of Unites States (US) in the immediate post-WWII period. US “national security” rested on an ideological dogma of anti-communism and the forceful, interventionist, US-led promotion of Western capitalism as the universal measure of freedom. This thesis extends the concept of the “national security state” to the case of T&T, in the Southern Caribbean. From this circumstance an appropriate redefinition is derived, where the “national security state” is rooted in the aftermath of plantation slavery and British Crown Colony rule, coupled with the rise of the US as the unquestioned imperial power of the Western Hemisphere and the world in the 20th Century. The core aspects of T&T’s Crown Colony constitution remained fundamentally intact despite the proclamation of independence in 1962 and republic status in 1976. Eric Williams, author of Capitalism and Slavery (1944), became T&T’s first Prime Minister and oversaw the consolidation of the national security state that targeted the efforts of the New World Group in their work to foster decolonization and sovereignty of the in the Caribbean. ! """! Acknowledgements: I give thanks for my parents and family, the people in Trinidad and Tobago who shaped my worldview, my unanswered questions, and my passions; including those things I had to rebel against, for those principled choices make us who we are. I give thanks for Kari Polanyi Levitt, a living archive and an inspirational embodiment of a lifelong commitment to the struggle for the betterment of all, so much work put in, unfortunately not fully recognized and appreciated in this fast-pace sound byte world. I give thanks for the supervisory committee that brought this to completion, Elena Razgolova, Kari Polanyi Levitt, and Ted Rutland. Maximilian Forte was an essential early catalyst for this project; this deserves recognition and I give thanks for that. Similarly, thanks to Gada Mahrouse for her time, insight, and encouragement that set me down this path during my undergraduate degree, and for Kevin Gould and the entire Concordia Geography department, faculty and peers, that catalyzed a lot of important early learning’s about the awareness of place, space, and movement in terms of politics and action, materially brought forth in the 2011/2012 Quebec student strikes; a humbling learning experience for it was clearly demonstrated that women are often the most effective links in political organizing. Thank you N, for you support and feedback. Salute to Pasero and Schmoo, ordinary revolutionaries with unmatched integrity and humility; and to Fidel. Che, forever This effort is dedicated to all the unnamed persons who lived, served, and died in the struggle against downpression, inequality, and classism in all of its forms. To the strong women without whom I would surely have been lost in this world of male dominance. Balance alpha and omega I ! "#! Table of Contents List of Maps, Images, and Pictures...................................................................................................vii Chapter I, Introduction and Literature Review.........................................................................1 Introduction...........................................................................................................................................1 Why study national security today, within a historical framework?...............................................3 Established historiography: Eric Williams and the New World Group.......................................7 Defining the national security state....................................................................................................8 A Caribbean worldview from which to begin reconsideration....................................................17 Crown Colony rule as a foundation of the national security state...............................................21 Outline..................................................................................................................................................28 Chapter II, 1899-1946, Situating the geopolitical importance of the national security state of Crown Colony T&T .........................................................................................................35 The Trinidad oil industry at the basis of the imperial strategy.....................................................37 Crown Colony Trinidad in the 1930s, profits for the few and discontent for the many.........39 Trinidad in World War II - interchange in imperial security........................................................43 The Caribbean in WWII, setting the stage for postwar continuities...........................................50 The US base occupation in practice.................................................................................................55 The AACC and the beginnings of Caribbean independence ......................................................61 Chapter III, 1947-1962, The formation of the national security state of independent Trinidad and Tobago .....................................................................................................................69 The conditions of Postwar Trinidad ...............................................................................................70 The Crown Colony constitution in motion.....................................................................................74 Eric Williams’ entry into politics and the formation of the P.N.M.............................................77 The reconsolidation of the national security state amidst a struggle for power........................82 The march on Chaguaramas .............................................................................................................86 Aid, independence, and business as usual.......................................................................................91 Chapter IV, 1962-1972, The national security state of T&T in the first the decade of independence.....................................................................................................................................94 Independent T&T: An anticommunist national security state.....................................................95 Sowing the seeds of discontent: political interference in the security services........................100 The Black Power ‘Disturbances’.....................................................................................................104 The Regiment-backed coup d’état of April 1970 that failed......................................................109 ! #! The un-reconciled consequences of 1970 and the reaffirmation of the national security state......................................................................................................................................................113 Chapter V, 1962-1978, The national security state and the targeting of independent thought..............................................................................................................................................119 The national security state against organized independent thought.........................................120 The establishment’s intelligence networks, knowledge production servicing power.............127 Kari Polanyi Levitt and economic planning as a threat to national security............................134 Dissent contained, piecemeal policies appropriated to work for the establishment..............142 Conclusion........................................................................................................................................149 Notes..................................................................................................................................................159