WHY GRENADA WORRIES REAGAN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP85M00364R001502590103-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Sequence Number: 103
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2008/01/29: CIA-RDP85M00364RO01502590103-9
A., er- TTT 95 lonrr_range reconnaissance aircraft. On July 28, 1982,
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in which the Soviets granted him $1.4 million to buy
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out the importance of Cuban-Soviet act
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He noted that if the airfield under construction on the tiny "500 tons of steel and other essential goods." The Soviets also
island had been complete, Soviet munitions would have gone agreed to construct a new port-in return, Bishop says, "for
directly to Nicaragua instead of being captured en route in. recreational use by Russian sailors." Moscow will also finance
late April by the Brazilians. The airfield would also facilitate an earth-satellite ground station, which, says Bishop, "gives us
Cuban troop shuttles across the South Atlantic to Angola and the opportunity of receiving directly in Grenada all the pro-
Ethio is (BW-Feb. 18, 1980). grams ... in the Soviet Union." Some observers expect mas-
P communications to hack un Soviet installa-
Although the Soviets, have taken precautions not to assume
any overt role in building the airfield,. some $30 million in
Soviet construction equipment has been channeled through
Havana. More than 150 pieces of Soviet heavy construction
and earth-moving machinery are being used. Grenadian police
drive Lada cars. and Niva jeeps, while the island's People's
Revolutionary Army and People's Militia-8,000 men and wom-
en out of a population of 110,000-wear Cuban uniforms and
are armed with Soviet AK-47 assault rifles, DShK heavy ma-
chine- guns, and ZU-23 artillery. The Grenadian government
has also received helicopters and BTR-60 armored personnel
carriers:
In late May, 1980, Grenada Deputy Premier Bernard Coard
signed a treaty with Moscow giving landing rights to Soviet
tions in Cuba. Moscow also promised to buy Grenada's cocoa,
nutmeg, and bananas at "stable prices'.' and to grant scholar,
ships to students. Shortly afterward, the Soviets set up a
mission under Ambassador Gennadiy Sazhenev, a corpulent
Russian in his mid-60s, who, while ostensibly a diplomat, wears
the full-dress uniform of a Soviet army general and insignia
indicating he may be a member of the GRU, Soviet military
intelligence.
'THE FORCES OF FASCISM: Grenada's strategic value is far out
of proportion to its size. It is less than 100 mi. off the coast of
Venezuela, in a deep-water channel, through which tankers
carrying 56% of U. S. imported oil enter the Caribbean. Major
refining capacity lies to the north-in St. - Croix, the U. S.
Virgin Islands; in St. Lucia; and, 90 mi. to the south, in
Trinidad. Trinidad has denounced Bishop for permitting 75
Trinidadians to be trained by the Cubans in Grenada for
terrorism, sabotage, and guerrilla warfare (BW-Dec. 27). In
April, 1980, Bishop casually confirmed that the new airfield
might, be used for Soviet and Cuban 'airlifts to trouble spots.
"Suppose there's-a war next door in Trinidad, where the forces
of fascism are about to take control, and the Trinidadians need
assistance," he said. "Why should we oppose anybody passing
through Grenada to assist them?".
Soviet MiG=23s-three squadrons of which are now based in
Cuba-could wreak havoc from Grenada on nearby oil refiner-
ies, transshipment terminals, and tanker lanes. In addition,
Soviet use of the airfield for long-range reconnaissance and
for antisubmarine warfare missions over the Atlantic would,
as Reagan indicated, pose a far greater threat for the Mid- and
South Atlantic than the deadly menace of German U-boats in
the Caribbean during World War II.
TIMOTHY ASHBY Special correspondent, Los Angeles
Approved For Release 2008/01/29: CIA-RDP85M00364RO01502590103-9
 Approved For Release 2008/01/29: CIA-RDP85M00364R001502590103-9
lr tc.GP W r~ l" - N LJKN Saturday October 30, 1982 .Page
Soviet Ambassador Genadiy I. Sazhenev
tion," Amb. Sazhenev
said, "took the Soviet
people to the very
economic plan is adopted
for the next five years
and after this it be-
summits or science anti comes law.
Approved For Release 2008/01/29: CIA-RDP85M00364R001502590103-9
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evious day in res- JLL I CUb
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armoured cars passing through St. George's.
sidents watchincr tlie
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The military motorcade