U.S. Consul LaRoche Arrives in Grenada with Barbadian Support

Prime Minister Adams personally facilitates first American consular presence after the coup.

Date: March 14, 1979

U.S. Consul Richard LaRoche Arrives in Grenada with High-Level Barbadian Assistance

Details: Consul Richard LaRoche arrived in Grenada by sea at approximately 10:00 a.m. to begin his mission of investigating and confirming the welfare of American citizens post-coup. His travel was facilitated and confirmed at the highest levels of the Barbadian government.

Barbadian Prime Minister Tom Adams personally telephoned the U.S. Ambassador at 10:30 a.m. to confirm LaRoche's safe arrival via a patrol boat of the Barbadian Coast Guard. Prime Minister Adams had personally cleared LaRoche's trip with the new Grenadian authorities, making it clear that LaRoche was traveling "merely as passenger… for [the] consular purpose of assuring protection and welfare [of] citizens".

LaRoche's journey began when he departed Bridgetown, Barbados, at 12:50 a.m.. Prime Minister Adams himself was present to see the Coast Guard crew off. LaRoche was accompanied by a Canadian diplomat, Second Secretary Christopher Davis. LaRoche observed that there was no armament on the vessel. He was instructed by the U.S. Ambassador to remain in Grenada and to report daily at noon and 4:00 p.m., using available radios, including those on private yachts in the harbor, as the telephone system was still out.

Key Members & Participants:

  • U.S. Official:
    • Consul Richard LaRoche: U.S. officer on the ground in Grenada.
  • Barbadian Officials:
    • Prime Minister Tom Adams: Personally arranged and cleared LaRoche's travel with the new Grenadian government and saw his vessel off.
    • Captain Peter Tomlin: Barbadian Army Captain commanding the Coast Guard vessel.
  • Canadian Official:
    • Second Secretary Christopher Davis: Accompanied LaRoche on the vessel to Grenada.

Significance: This document reveals the critical role played by the Barbadian government, and Prime Minister Tom Adams personally, in facilitating the first U.S. diplomatic presence in Grenada after the coup. This high-level cooperation underscores the immediate regional concern about the events in Grenada. The formal clearance of LaRoche's consular mission with the new Grenadian authorities demonstrates a continued willingness by the revolutionary government to engage with Western diplomats, at least on the issue of foreign citizen welfare. The instructions for LaRoche to remain in Grenada and establish a regular reporting schedule mark the transition from an initial contact mission to a sustained, on-the-ground intelligence and consular operation.

Source:

U.S. Embassy Bridgetown Cable 00882, "GRENADA COUP," March 14, 1979, Declassified. (Document ID C17671022.pdf).

Link:

https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1979BRIDGE00882_a.html

Internal Link:

Date:
March 14, 1979
Categories:
Diplomacy, Greneda Invasion, Log, Matthew Smith, Military & Intel, Nuclear Warfare, The Suriname Archive
Tags:
Barbadian Officials, Barbados, Cable, Canadian Official, Captain Peter Tomlin, Consul Richard LaRoche, Consular Affairs, Coup, Diplomacy, Prime Minister Tom Adams, Second Secretary Christopher Davis, U.S. Official
Boxes:
MW Zotero
Years:
1979
Persons:
Frank Ortiz, Richard Laroche, Tom Adams
META DATA
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