CHRONOLOGY OF GRENADA EVENTS LEADING TO COLLECTIVE ACTION OF THE CARIBBEAN PEACE FORCE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85M00364R001502590071-5
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Sequence Number: 71
• Content Type: REPORT

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1420 29 Oct. #3183P (PPC)
Chronology of Grenada Events Leading to Collective
Action of the Caribbean Peace Force
-- Prime Minister Bishop meets in Cuba with Fidel Castro following a
one-week tour of Eastern European capitals in which he sought support for
his faltering regime.
October 12
$
-- Longstanding. conflict between PM Bishop and Deputy PM Bernard Coard
erupts in fight in Grenadian cabinet. Coard wants to supplant Bishop and
speed up "socialist change."
-- Ostensibly as a result of rumor that he seeks Bishop's assassination,
Coard resigns.
Night of October 13/14
-- About midnight, New Jewel Movement [NJM] Central Committee places
Prime Minister Bishop under house arrest.
October 15
-- Radio Free Grenada [run by Coard's wife Phyllis] announces arrest of
3 Cabinet-ministers. Mobilization Minister Selvyn Strachan announces
that Coard had replaced Bishop as PM. An angry crowd of 300 gathered
outside the government controlled newspaper E protest. Justice Minister
Kendrick Radix arrested for organizing the demonstration.
-- Tim Hector, leader of leftist Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement,
announces that his party is.concerned about the safety of Bishop and
other leaders of Grenada.
-- Five Cabinet members resign: Jacqueline Creft, Education; Norris
Bain, Housing; George Louison,' Agriculture; Lyden Rhamdhanny, Tourism; &
unison Whiteman, Foreign Minister.
-- Whiteman said that "Comrade Coard, who is now running Grenada, has
refused to engage in serious talks to resolve,the crisis.....it became
clear to us'that they did not want a settlement and seemed determined-to
use force and provoke violence to achieve their objective."
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-- Grenada Airport is closed, LIAT flight from Barbados is turned back,
two other flights cancelled. Radio Free Grenada, only source of news,.
goes off the air. Shops are closed. School children demonstrate for
Bishop's return to office. Demonstrators force restoration of overseas _
telephone service which had been cut off. Agriculture Minister Louison
is arrested.
-- Barbados Government calls emergency cabinet meeting, expresses "deep
concern" over events in Grenada.
$
-- A crowd of thousands, apparently led by Whiteman, marches to Bishop's
residence and frees him and Creft, also held prisoner there. Group
proceeds to the downtown area toward Fort Rupert [also Police HQ], where
Radix was believed imprisoned. Once there, Peoples Revolutionary Army
[PRA)-troops loyal to the Central Committee, some in armored personnel
carriers [APC], surround Bishop, Whiteman, Creft, Bain and two union
leaders, separate them from the'crowd and march them into the fort with
their hands over their heads. All are killled -.Jacqueline Creft
reportedly by beating. Wire services [CANA, EFE] from St. Georges
reports 50 casualties from troops firing on demonstrators.
--- Radio Free Grenada [RFG] announces deaths,'-formation of a Revolution-
ary Military Council [RMC] headed by Army Chief General Hudson Austin,
and. a round-the-clock, shoot on sight curfew until October 24 at 6:00 am.
-- Journalists from international press arrive at airport and are
immediately deported.
-- Alister Hughes, Agence France Presse & CANA correspondent & director
of Grenadian weekly, Newsletter, who filed eyewitness report on Fort
Rupert events, is picked up at his home by security forces during the
night. Hughes was the sole independent news link between Grenada and the
rest of the world. His brother, Lecriard, and another businessman, Tony
Moore are also arrested.
-- Coard placed under "protective custody."
-- Barbados Prime Minister, Tom Adams, expresses "horror at these brutal
and vicious murders." Describing the new regime he says, "I do not think
it will be possible to accommodate so wide a range of governments within
the Caribbean. It goes far beyond ideological pluralism. This is the
difference between barbarians and human beings."
-- Jamaica breaks relations with Grenada. Opposition leader Manley
repudiates RMC, cuts relations with the NJM and recommends its expulsion
from the Socialist International.
-- St. Lucia Prime Minister, Sir John Compton, says "Whatever little
chance Grenada had in Bishop for the liberalisation of the regime is gone
for sometime to come. Coard's regime will try to push the Caribbean
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Community into the communist camp." He said his government and others
would resist any such efforts.
-- Dominica Prime Minister Eugenia Charles condemns the killings in
Grenada; says her government would have no dealings with those who now
"unlawfully" constitute the government of Grenada.
-- Monserrat Chief Minister John Osborne says events in Grenada had cast
-a dark shadow over the Caribbean. "The Government of Montserrat feels
strongly that we [regional leaders] must meet as soon as possible to
.consider our future relationship with Grenada under its so-called
revolutionary council..... our sympathy goes out to the people of Grenada:"
Prime Minister Dr. Kennedy Simmonds of St Kitts and Nevis joined
other Caribbean Community [Caricom] member states in condemning political
violence in Grenada.
-- Prime Minister George Chambers of Trinidad and Tobago announced trade
and other sanctions against Grenada, described the killings of Bishop and
his ex-ministers as "executions" and said his government viewed with
,horror the importation of such executions into the English-,speaking
Caribbean.
-- In London., Commonwealth Secretary-General Ramphal issues statement
expressing horror at murder of Bishop and his su
pporters. "I feel sure
that Commonwealth Caribbean governments. in particular will wish to use
every influence through co-ordinated responses to ensure that' the will
and the interest of the people of Grenada are respected and the integrity
of the island-state preserved."
-- The Caribbean Conference of Churches suspends all relations with
Grenada's new military rulers after having earlier offered to mediate
between Bishop and Coard factions.
Emergency meeting of the organization of Eastern Caribbean States
[OE.CS], plus Jamaica and Barbados, is called for Barbados on October 21.,
-- U.S. citizen arrested in Grenada, released unharmed.
October 21
-- Antigua and Barbuda Foreign Minister Lester Bird says events in St.
Georges [Grenada] threaten the well-being of the Caribbean,. "The
Government of Antigua and Barbuda will not recognize the regime in
Grenada."
-- Except for Grenada, OECS nations [St. Vincent and Grenadines, St.
Lucia, Dominica,-Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts/Nevis, and Monserrat]
plus Barbados and Jamaica formally and unanimously resolve to intervene
by force in Grenada if U.S. will assist. Intervention will conform to
OECS charter provision that the heads of government may collectively
.agree to take whatever measures are necessary to defend the region and
preserve the peace.
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-- Cuba issues statement asserting its non-involvement, calls for
investigation and "exemplary punishment" of anyone guilty of Bishop and
other deaths, and reaffirms support for the "revolutionary process" in.
Grenada.
Curfew lifted for four hours to allow food purchases; riots and
looting occur.
-- Caricom Heads of Government meet in Trinidad; resolve 11-1 to expel
Grenada from the organization. Guyana, Trinidad-Tobago and Belize have
reservations about military resolution.
--- The RMC denies disorder during four-hour lifting of curfew the
previous day. On the contrary, the RMC says, people formed orderly
queues outside shops, youth were seen playing football, and tourists were
at the beach.
-- RMC announces "policy statement" on economy, social policy, foreign
policy, saying a new cabinet will be appointed "within the next.l0 to 14
days.
-- The RMC announces that RMC Lt. Ashley Folkes+'has been replaced._ The
RMC states that he had been "erroneously named" as a member of the 16 man
council the day before.
-- The RMC announces Pearls Airport will be open the next day and that
the curfew will be reduced to from 8:00 p.m.to 5:00 a.m.
-- RMC issues series of bulletins on Caricom actions, calls for militia
mobilization.
-- U.S. diplomatic representatives arrive.
-- Fort De France [Martinique] radio reports Grenadian army divided and
indicates another coup is possible. Heavy weapons fire is reported.
Special emissary McNeil arrives in Barbados to confer with key
leaders [Adams of Barbados, Seaga of Jamaica., Charles of Dominica].
-- Prime Minister Adams informs Ambassador Bish that the Governor
General has appealed, in a confidential communication, for OECS action to
restore order. .
-- Canadian charter flight to pick up its citizens reported unable to
land in Grenada. .
-- RMC presents note requesting assurance that the U.S. does not plan an
invasion.
-- OECS plus Jamaica and Barbados reported in- Grenadiari.press to be
preparing an invasion.
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