Consultations on Grenada

F-2011-03128

  1. (C – Entire Text)
  2. Upon receipt reftel Ambassador sought appointment with Prime Minister Burnham to discuss Grenada. Appointment was confirmed for April 5; however, at noon on that day the Foreign Minister called to say that he would receive the Ambassador in view of a slight indisposition which Prime Minister had developed.
  3. In his meeting with Foreign Minister Jackson, Ambassador made an opening statement which incorporated essential points of para 3 reftel. He particularly emphasized fact that USG had moved to normalize relations with the new regime in Grenada, following the lead of Guyana, Jamaica and Barbados, primarily because the new government appeared committed to reestablishing constitutionality and early free elections. Since that time we were concerned about what appeared to be a retreat from that initial position. We were therefore interested in obtaining from the GOG its best reading as to where the new regime in St. George’s appeared to be heading and particularly what its plans for the future might be. We were also disturbed that the new Grenadian regime’s failure to satisfy the WISA’s pre-conditions to recognition might put an unacceptable stain on CARICOM unity.
  4. Jackson responded by rehearsing for the Ambassador the initial meeting of CARICOM representatives on Barbados on March 14 and 15, stressing the efforts which had been made at that time to find a constitutional formula, acceptable to the Grenadian regime and to the WISA, which would enable the government of Grenada to be accepted into the CARICOM family, thus preserving the harmony of the organization. For a variety of reasons this effort had failed. He expressed concern that the pre-conditions which had been thrown up by the WISA had had the effect of antagonizing the new regime in St. George’s. There was a risk that positions were becoming “frozen” and, in his view, this would be an unfortunate development.
  5. As far as Guyana is concerned the GOG is attempting to be of assistance to Prime Minister Bishop and his collaborators in an effort to get them over the initial difficulties of organizing their country. To assist, Guyana would be sending on request a five-man team of technicians, within the next 48 hours, to give the new Grenadian government expert advice in the areas of finance, public administration, and other sectors. The group would include team leader Cecil Douglas, who is Permanent Secretary in the Public Service Ministry, Harold Wilkinson, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, and Norman McLean, head of the Guyanese National Service. This team would provide counseling and identify other areas in which the GOG might be helpful to the new regime.
  6. Separate and apart from this, Jackson said that the GOG was trying to organize another meeting of CARICOM ministers late in the week of April 8 in an attempt to heal the breach between Grenada and the LDCs within CARICOM. This meeting is still in the embryo stage but Jackson is hopeful that it can take place. He said that one can never be sure that Trinidad and Tobago would attend but he seemed optimistic that the other members of CARICOM would send representatives of an appropriate rank to such a conclave. (We have heard through other sources that this meeting may take place in Barbados on April 13 following Prime Minister Burnham’s scheduled summit meeting with Primin Arron of Suriname.)
  7. Jackson then volunteered the observation that it was unfortunate that some constitutional formula could not have been found in the first few days after the coup against Grenada. He is convinced that some of the leaders of ECCM governments pressed too hard on the question of pre-conditions to recognition and that this had irritated proud and inexperienced leaders of the new regime in St. George’s. (He cited Vere Bird of Antigua as one of the most hardlining of the ECCM leaders in this effort.) In his view Grenada’s new leaders are still very apprehensive that at some future time Eric Gairy will take revenge on them for their coup and that this fear contributed to their apprehensions in the days immediately following their take-over. He believes it was particularly unfortunate that the shipment of ECCM supplies was temporarily held up by the WISA and that this did nothing but heighten the suspicions of Bishop and his colleagues. Equally unfortunate was the threat on the part of the Associated States to withdraw their judges from Grenada. Such a threat in his view, reinforced the belief within the Grenadian regime that the WISA were implacably hostile and complicated enormously the constitutional problem. Furthermore, it raised the specter of Gairy collaborators being tried before illegal courts.
  8. Despite all this, Jackson remains optimistic that some sort of a formula will be worked out which will permit Grenada’s eventual acceptance by all the CARICOM member states. In this connection he feels that the Commonwealth Secretary General Shridath (Sonny) Ramphal, who visited Grenada on March 31 after a stop in Guyana, can play an important role (see Georgetown 1463).
  9. The main thrust of Jackson’s remarks seem to add up to the following: the Grenada coup has created important difficulties for CARICOM; the WISA have taken a most rigid stand vis-a-vis the new regime; Bishop and his collaborators have reacted sharply to this perceived unfriendliness on the part of the WISA; the situation is reaching the point where it might become frozen; however, there is still hope that Grenada can be reintegrated into CARICOM and CARICOM unity can be preserved by the various moves, including the proposed Barbados meeting, which are presently underway.
  10. Before terminating the interview the Ambassador reiterated to the Foreign Minister USG concern about the recent trend of events, our willingness as expressed by Ambassador Ortiz to enter into a normal relationship with Bishop and his collaborators and presumably continue an aid relationship with Grenada. Furthermore, he expressed the hope that the GOG would continue to consult with us about these problems because of our mutual concern for the integrity of CARICOM, our hopes for regional integration within the Caribbean, and the special relationship which the Burnham government appeared to have with the new Grenadian government.
  11. Comment: In this meeting with Formin Jackson registration of our concern was achieved and the message, ungarbled, was transmitted to the GOG and probably, at some future time, to Bishop et al on Grenada. We should not expect, however, that our apprehensions regarding elections and constitutionality will overly concern or even interest a government (the GOG) which itself has long since abandoned any commitment to free and fair elections and democratic niceties. Nevertheless, this is obviously a good place to “plug in” if we are interested in getting a clear, unvarnished message to Grenada’s new masters. As department will have seen from other channel reporting the GOG is determined to settle itself firmly in the same bed with the Bishop regime and will provide any assistance the new government requires within reason. Bishop and his confreres offer to Burnham the prospect of a government in the Eastern Caribbean with which it can feel ideologically compatible and the isolation Burnham formerly felt, surrounded by the likes of Eric Williams, John Compton, Tom Adams, Vere Bird, etc., is gone, leaving in its place the prospect that the spore of “Cooperative Socialism” or some mutation thereof may take root and blossom elsewhere in yet other locales in the Eastern Caribbean, now that the Grenadian coup has come to pass.

Burke

Confidential NNN

Source:

F-2011-03128

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Internal Link:

https://surinamepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Consultations-on-Grenada-C17671209.pdf

Date:
April 6, 1979
Categories:
Diplomacy, Military & Intel
Tags:
Boxes:
F-2011-03128, FOIA
Years:
1979
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META DATA

Unclassified U.S. Department of State Case No. F-2011-03128 Date: 03/29/2012 Confidential

Page 01 George 01570 01 of 02 061434Z

Action: ARA-15 Info: OCT-01 EUR-12 ADS-00 PM-05 SP-02 SS-15 CIAE-00 INR-10 NSAE-00 SSO-00 NSCE-00 INRE-00 DODE-00 IO-14 /074 W 095420 061453Z /42

O P 061400Z APR 79 FM: Amembassy Georgetown TO: Secstate WashDC Immediate 9374 Info: Amembassy Bridgetown Priority, Amembassy Kingston Immediate, Amembassy London Priority, Amembassy Ottawa Priority, Amembassy Port of Spain Priority, USINT Havana Priority

Confidential Section 1 of 2 Georgetown 1570

E.O. 12065: GDS 4/6/78 (Burke, John R.) OR-M Tags: PINT, PINS, GY

Ref: State 82215

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