THE PRESIDENT EXPLAINS GRENADA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01070R000200920007-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 25, 2008
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: October 25, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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RADIO N REPORTS, INC.
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CBS News Special Report STATION WDVM-TV
CBS Network
October 25, 1983 9:05 AM
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The President Explains Grand -
Washington, DC
THE PRESIDENT: On Sunday, October 23rd, the United
States received an urgent formal request from the five member
nations of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States to
assist in a joint effort to restore order and democracy on the
Island of Grenada.
We acceded to the request to become part of a multi-
national effort with contingents from Antigua, Barbados,
Dominica, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the United
States. I might add that two of those, Barbados and Jamaica,
are not members of the Organization, but were first approached,
as we later were, by the OECS and asked to join in that
undertaking, and then all of them join unanimously in asking us
to participate.
Early this morning, forces from six Caribbean democra-
cies and the United States began a landing, or landings, on the
Island of Grenada in the Eastern Caribbean. We have taken this
decisive action for three reasons.
First, and overriding importance, to protect innocent
lives, including up to a thousand Americans whose personal
safety is, of course, my paramount concern.
Second, to forestall further chaos.
And third, to assist in the restoration of conditions
of law and order and of governmental institutions to the Island
of Grenada where a brutual group of leftist thugs violently
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seized power, killing the Prime Minister, three cabinet
members, two labor leaders, and other civilians, including
children.
Let there be no misunderstanding, this collective
action has been forced on us by events that have no precedent
in the Eastern Caribbean and no place in any civilized society.
American lives are at stake. We've been following the
situation as closely as possible. Between 800 and a thousand
Americans, including many medical students and senior citizens
make up the largest single group of foreign residents in
Grenada. From the start, we have consciously sought to calm
fears. We were determined not to make an already bad situation
worse and increase the risks our citizens faced.
But, when I received reports that a large number of
our citizens were seeking to escape the island, thereby
exposing themselves to great danger, and after receiving a
formal request for help -- a unanimous request from our
neighboring states -- I concluded the United States had no
choice but to act strongly and decisively.
Let me repeat, the United States objectives are clear
-- to protect our own citizens, to facilitate the evacuation of
those who want to leave, and to help in the restoration of
democratic institutions in Grenada.
I understand that several Caribbean states are asking
that the Organization of American States consider the situation
in Grenada.
Our diplomatic efforts will be in close cooperation
with the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, the other
countries participating in the multinational effort.
And now, I'm very proud to present to you the Chairman
of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, and the Prime
Minister of Dominica, Prime Minister Charles.
PRIME MINISTER EUGENIA CHARLES: I think we were all
very horrified at the events which took place recently in
Grenada.
We, as part of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean
States, realizing that we are, of course, one region, we belong
to each other, are kissing kin. We all have members of our
state living in Grenada. We're very concerned that this event
should take place again.
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It is true that we have managed to live with the
regime since March '79, and we felt quite clearly we had good
reason to believe that the Bishop regime was seeing it our way
and was on the way to having elections, and we think this is
the reason why himself and his cabinet were destroyed. Because
he realized that the pressure we put on him to have elections
was worthwhile, was right, and he begun [sic] to see that the
democratic institutions must be put in place in any of these
small countries.
It is even more important in a small island state
--poor island state -- to have a democratic institution, and
this we have had for a long time, and we've continued it, and
we wish to continue it.
Grenada was an abberation in this respect.
But that these men who had for all these years
accepted the Bishop regime should then, for their own reasons,
and I think power-hungry reasons, decide to destroy the persons
whom they had accepted as the leaders for so long, leaders
realize that this sort of assassination must not be allowed to
continue in our country. It means that our people there are
not safe. It means that Grenadians have never been given the
chance to choose for themselves the country that they want.
And, therefore, it is necessary for us to see to it that they
have the opportunity to do so.
To do this, we have to isolate the persons who have
committed the acts that they did last week in killing off all
or most of the cabinet. And we have to insure that, in fact,
an interim government of persons of, not political greed, but
persons who are good administrators and who are Grenadians who
can run the country for a few months for the pure purpose of
putting the country back in the democratic status, so elections
can take place as soon as possible. This is what we want to do
so the Grenadians can choose for themselves the government they
want and not have -- every few years have governments imposed
on them by persons with otherwise....
[Confusion of voices].
MALE REPORTER: ...The Soviets and the Cubans were
behind this takeover of Grenada? Did the Joint Chiefs tell you
that yesterday afternoon?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes, we do have this information. I
can't give you all the details because of the safety of people
concerned. But we noticed two weeks before the assassination
took place the movements between the Soviet Embassies and known
activists. And the activists returned to
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Grenada, obviously a conduit between some of these Russians and
some of these....
WOMAN REPORTER: How long is this going to involve the
American States, sir? And can you tell us that, and how long
will the American forces be on the ground there? What is their
role?
THE PRESIDENT: I could -- well, we don't know how
long that will be. We want to be out as quickly as possible
because this -- our purpose in being there is only for them to
enable to [sic] takeover their own affairs. As far as we
know, the citizens are safe. We have been monitoring that very
closely, and one of our prime objectives in the actual invasion
that was almost instantly done was the securing of that St.
George Medical College several hundred of the students were.
[Confusion of voices].
MALE REPORTER: As late as yesterday, your own
spokesman said that Americans on Grenada were in no danger.
Did you have information that things have [sic] changed?
THE PRESIDENT: They were in no danger in the sense
that right now anything was being done to them, but we know
that there was concern on the part of those because already
we've been informed of several hundred who wanted to leave, but
the airports were closed, there was no way of leaving. This
was a case of not waiting until something actually happened to
them, but we did manage to get some intelligence out of the
island -- intelligence information on this -- and that the
tenuous situation was, as I said, the only authority that you
can say was of a governmental nature on that island was a
24-hour curfew with orders to shoot on sight anyone found
moving in those 24 hours.
MALE REPORTER: What is the military situation now,
sir, in Grenada? Can you tell us?
THE PRESIDENT: I can only tell you that we've secured
both the airports, and the landings have been completed, but we
are yielding to the influence of General Vessey in that we
don't think in these early hours of that landing that we should
be on the horn asking the commanders to stop and give us
detailed reports.
[Confusion of voices].
WOMAN REPORTER: Do you think that the United States
has the right to invade another country to change its govern-
ment?
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PRIME MINISTER CHARLES: I don't it's an invasion, if
I may answer that question. This is question of we're asking
for support. We are one region. Grenada is part and parcel of
us, an Organization, and we don't have the capacity ourselves
to see to it that Grenadians get the freedom that they're
required to have to choose their own government.
[Confusion of voices].
THE PRESIDENT: Wait one second here. No, we're not
spread too thin. And let me -- let me augment what the Prime
Minister just said.
Once the nations -- they were once British colonies --
were freed, they themselves had a treaty, and their treaty was
one of mutual support, and Grenada is one of the countries who
signatories to that treaty and observed that treaty at one time
when they had a democratic government and a constitution
--constitutional government. The constitution was left to them
by the British.
So, this action that is being taken is being taken
under the umbrella of an existing treaty.
[Confusion of voices].
MALE REPORTER: Mr. Reagan, a helicopter has been shot
down -- a U.S. helicopter has been shot down in Grenada. Do
you have any information of any U.S. casualties on the island?
LARRY SPEAKES: This is the last question, and we
cutoff after this. Last question.
MALE REPORTER: Do we have any information of any U.S.
casualties on the island, sir?
THE PRESIDENT: No, I have been in meetings, and both
have been busy since we arrived here, and I've only had the
first report of our landing, and so forth, so I don't know
whether that's true or not.
What?
[Confusion of voices].
MALE REPORTER: What's the success of -- of the
U.S.-Caribbean operation?
THE PRESIDENT: What's that?
MALE REPORTER: The success of the operation?
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THE PRESIDENT: The initial operation of landing,
securing the immediate target, taking control of the airport,
completely successful.
Now, the Prime Minister and I are going to depart, but
I know there are going to be a lot more technical questions of
that kind, and Ambassador Motley is here, and I'm going to put
him before you to ask all the technical questions you may have.
SPEAKES: Sorry that is the last question.
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