Ortiz Warns Bishop Against Cuban Ties Amid Gairy Coup Fears

U.S. formally cautions new Grenadian government on Soviet bloc alignment as Bishop seeks military aid.

Date: April 10, 1979

Consul LaRoche Attends High-Level Meeting on Gairy Threat and Potential Cuban Ties

Details: Consul LaRoche accompanied Ambassador Frank V. Ortiz to a one-hour meeting with an "exhausted and not very responsive" Prime Minister Maurice Bishop. The meeting focused on the "extreme anxieties" in Grenada over a potential counter-coup led by the deposed Eric Gairy from the U.S.. Ambassador Ortiz discussed the provisions of the U.S. Neutrality Act and asked Bishop for evidence of Gairy's illegal activities.

During the discussion, Bishop gave the U.S. his first specific request for military aid: 500 semi-automatic weapons and 200 machine guns, with about 1,000 rounds of ammunition for each weapon.

Ambassador Ortiz then formally delivered instructions from Washington, warning Bishop that developing close ties with Cuba "would greatly complicate relations" with the U.S. and Grenada's neighbors. Bishop responded by saying his government had been in power for a month and had received no assistance from its "traditional friends". He denied that Cuba had offered assistance but stated that if mercenaries were to invade, the PRG would get help "wherever it could".

Key Members & Participants:

  • U.S. Officials:
    • Ambassador Frank V. Ortiz
    • Consul Richard LaRoche
  • Grenadian Officials:
    • Prime Minister Maurice Bishop
    • Vincent Noel (Bishop's Chief of Staff)

Significance: LaRoche's presence at this meeting provided him with direct knowledge of the escalating concerns of the Bishop regime regarding a Gairy-led counter-coup, and their first specific request for U.S. military assistance to counter this perceived threat. This meeting was a crucial turning point, marking the first time the U.S. formally and directly warned the new Grenadian government against pursuing close ties with Cuba; LaRoche was a direct witness to this foundational policy statement. Bishop's linkage of a potential turn to Cuba for aid directly to the threat of a Gairy-led invasion from the U.S. established the central dynamic that would define and ultimately poison U.S.-Grenadian relations for the next four years.

Source:

U.S. Embassy Bridgetown Cable 01368, "GRENADA: MEETING WITH PRIME MINISTER BISHOP," April 11, 1979, Declassified. (Document ID C17671231.pdf).

Link:

https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/1979BRIDGE01368_a.html

Internal Link:

Date:
April 10, 1979
Categories:
Diplomacy, Greneda Invasion, Log, Matthew Smith, Mercenaries, Military & Intel, The Suriname Archive
Tags:
Cable, Diplomacy, Foreign Aid, Grenadian Officials, Threat Assessment, U.S. Officials
Boxes:
MW Zotero
Years:
1979
Persons:
Eric Gairy, Frank Ortiz, Maurice Bishop, Richard Laroche
META DATA
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