GRENADA/COUP

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01070R000200920012-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 25, 2008
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: October 27, 1983
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Approved For Release 2008/07/25: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000200920012-4
NBC NIGH'T'LY NEWS
27 October 1983
GRENADA/COUP BROKAW: And American intelligence agencies acknowledged today
that there was a good deal that they did not know about what was
happening in Grenada before the invasion. However, as Marvin-
Kalb reports tonight, the administration says that information
only provides more justification for the invasion.
KALB: Administrations do not usually. like to admit intelligence
failures. This one is no exception. But top officials-do admit
they were Quite surprised by the size and strength of the Cuban
.contingent on Grenada. A CIA estimate said there were 4-600
Cubans on the-island; most of them manual laborers, some-
reservists with military experience in Angola. Actually, there
were over 1,000, masquerading as construction workers on an
airport runway, but in fact serving in a combat engineer
brigade--well entrenched and well equipped, even with
anti-aircraft weapons that fired at and hit approaching U.S.
helicopters. Oddly, the White House acknowledges not an _
intelligence failure, but a total intelligence gap, but still
proceeded with the invasion. ROBERT MCFARLANE (National
Security Adviser): When you don't have any intelligence
resources there at all, uh, something can't fail if it isn't
there..
Approved For Release 2008/07/25: CIA-RDP88-0107OR000200920012-4