Consul LaRoche Attends High-Level Meeting with Grenadian Prime Minister Bishop

U.S. delegation presses new revolutionary government on elections and prior arms smuggling.

Date: March 23, 1979

Consul LaRoche Participates in Expanded U.S. Delegation Meeting with Grenadian Leadership

Details: Consul LaRoche, along with Ambassador Ortiz and other U.S. officials, participated in a detailed two-hour meeting with Prime Minister Maurice Bishop and Unison Whiteman at the Ambassador's hotel. The Grenadian leaders were accompanied by several armed members of the People's Revolutionary Army who patrolled the site.

During the extensive discussion for which LaRoche was present, Ambassador Ortiz pressed Bishop on the timing of elections. Bishop was evasive, stating it would take longer than six months and suggesting the new government was considering bypassing the existing "archaic" political system in favor of a new system of "real democracy" with "village assemblies". LaRoche was also present as the Ambassador discussed several sensitive topics, including the new government's annoyance with Eric Gairy's activities in the U.S., a U.S. investigation into prior arms smuggling to the island, and "malicious press accounts" alleging U.S. assassination squads, which Bishop denied.

The meeting concluded with Bishop asking the Ambassador to convey a message to Washington that they wished to "continue the friendly relations we have with America and to extend and strengthen them" and to continue and possibly increase U.S. assistance programs.

Key Members & Participants:

  • U.S. Delegation:
    • Ambassador Frank V. Ortiz (Head of Delegation).
    • Consul Richard LaRoche.
    • AID Officer Liercke.
    • Economic Officer Stanley.
  • Grenadian Officials:
    • Prime Minister Maurice Bishop.
    • Unison Whiteman.

Significance: This expanded report provides a much deeper insight into the substance of the first high-level U.S. diplomatic meeting, a meeting for which Consul LaRoche was a key participant. LaRoche's presence during the lengthy and often tense discussion over elections, the Gairy threat, and arms smuggling provided him, and by extension the U.S. government, with a foundational understanding of the new regime's ideological leanings, its sensitivities, and its negotiating tactics. While a previous, shorter cable noted a difference in assessment between the Ambassador and his staff (including LaRoche), this detailed account provides the raw substance of the conversation that would have informed those differing analytical perspectives. It highlights the new government's complex mix of revolutionary ideology (village assemblies) and pragmatic needs (requesting U.S. aid).

Source:

U.S. Embassy Bridgetown Cable 01108, "GRENADA: MEETING WITH REVOLUTIONARY LEADERS, BISHOP AND WHITEMAN EXPANDED VERSION," March 26, 1979, Declassified. (Document ID C17671161.pdf).

Link:

https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1979BRIDGE01108_a.html

Internal Link:

Date:
March 23, 1979
Categories:
Diplomacy, Greneda Invasion, Log, Matthew Smith, Military & Intel, Politics, Research, The Suriname Archive
Tags:
AID Officer Liercke, Ambassador Frank V. Ortiz, Cable, Consul Richard LaRoche, Coup, Diplomacy, Economic Officer Stanley, Elections, Grenadian Officials, Intelligence Assessment, Prime Minister Maurice Bishop, U.S. Delegation, Unison Whiteman
Boxes:
MW Zotero
Years:
1979
Persons:
Frank Ortiz, Maurice Bishop, Richard Laroche
META DATA
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