Consul LaRoche Reports New Grenadian Government Consolidation Efforts

U.S. diplomat monitors regional engagement and discovers regime using his presence for propaganda.

Date: March 15, 1979

Consul LaRoche Reports on New Government's Consolidation and Becomes Part of its Public Narrative

Details: In a report filed as of 8:15 a.m., Consul Richard LaRoche provided the U.S. Embassy with a detailed intelligence summary based on the 7:00 a.m. local news broadcast and his own observations.

He reported that the CARICOM group of nations, after meeting in Barbados, had formally engaged with the "Provisional Revolutionary Government," inviting a representative to Barbados and publicly urging the new government to ensure free elections. LaRoche noted the formation of new state bodies, the "Revolutionary Command Council" and the "People's Revolutionary Army," which he believed had some police functions. He also reported on public radio announcements declaring the airport open, appealing to the new army to "restrain their behaviour," and asking the public for food donations for the soldiers.

A significant development reported by LaRoche was that the local radio news had mentioned his presence, and that of his Canadian counterpart Davis, by name. The broadcast framed their visit as being at the "special invitation" of the new government and "Prime Minister Brother Bishop". LaRoche also confirmed a correction to previous intelligence, identifying the Soviet ship present during the coup as the "Ivan Franco" out of Odessa.

Key Members & Participants:

  • U.S. Official:
    • Consul Richard LaRoche: U.S. officer providing intelligence from Grenada.
  • Canadian Official:
    • Secretary Davis: LaRoche's Canadian counterpart, also mentioned in the broadcast.
  • Grenadian Official:
    • George Louison: Identified as the new government's representative traveling to the CARICOM meeting.

Significance: This report demonstrates LaRoche's function as a key source of real-time political intelligence for the U.S. government, monitoring local media to understand the new regime's relationship with its regional neighbors (CARICOM). The most significant development is the new government's use of LaRoche's and Davis's presence for its own public relations. By announcing on the radio that the Western diplomats were there by "special invitation," the regime was attempting to project an image of legitimacy, cooperation, and international acceptance to the local Grenadian population. LaRoche's correction of the name of the Soviet vessel highlights the importance of having a trained observer on the ground to verify and clarify intelligence, which can be easily misreported in the initial confusion of a crisis.

Source:

U.S. Embassy Bridgetown Cable 00922, "REPORT FROM CONSUL LAROCHE IN GRENADA AS OF 8:15 AM," March 15, 1979, Declassified. (Document ID C17671039.pdf).

Link:

https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1979BRIDGE00922_a.html

Internal Link:

Date:
March 15, 1979
Categories:
Greneda Invasion, Log, Matthew Smith, Media, Military & Intel, Politics, The Suriname Archive
Tags:
Barbados, Cable, Canadian Official, Consul Richard LaRoche, Coup, George Louison, Grenadian Official, Intelligence Reporting, Propaganda, Secretary Davis, U.S. Official
Boxes:
MW Zotero
Years:
1979
Persons:
Richard Laroche
META DATA
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