peterr@utcsrgv.UUCP (Peter Rowley) (11/13/83)
The Canadian External Affairs Department is actively investigating the possibility that the US and/or its Caribbean allies blocked the Cdn gov't's efforts to evacuate 29 Canadian nationals a few days before the invasion. The investigation is officially confirmed by the department. Unofficially, "some observers speculate that [the flight] may have been deliberately blocked because of fears that a successful evacuation would undermine Washington's justification for the invasion." (Toronto Globe & Mail, Nov. 12, page 1) ------------------- If true, this interference endangered the lives of 29 Canadian nationals, people who had been guaranteed safe passage from the island by the leaders of the coup. Trapped on the island, they may have been caught in fighting. Imagine the ramifications if several had been killed by US firepower AND the above interference had been proven... particularly after the Cdn aid to 6 US nationals in Iran. p. rowley, U. Toronto, Ontario, Canada
mmt@dciem.UUCP (Martin Taylor) (11/15/83)
The suspicion that the US and its invasion allies blocked the departure of Canadians from Grenada before the invasion lends credence to another suspicion, no less credible than the suspicion of Cuban involvement in the coup. Was the CIA behind the coup? We hear that the Grenadan invasion was in planning for several weeks or months, before the coup ever happened; now we hear that perhaps the Americans (US and Canadian) could have left if they had asked, but the plane to take the Canadians away was stopped. Surely if there had been no coup, Reagan could not have shown any justification for taking out the popular Bishop, could he? Just a suspicion ... but with a lot of history behind it (Greece, Chile ...). Martin Taylor
jbray@bbncca.ARPA (James Bray) (11/18/83)
We know that Coard's brother works here in Boston; I was amused to find out that his first cousin Leslyne shares a house with Cynthia Gairy, wife of the rightist thug that Bishop threw out. So he certainly has ties here in the states, and to some interesting people, too. Also, I seem to recall that he went to school here, at Oberlin or something. If the CIA was involved, they will try to make sure that even if we suspect we will never know for sure, just as people suspect that they bumped off John F. Kennedy but will never know for sure... They clearly had motive in Grenada, and probably opportunity, but there is not likely to be a smoking gun. --Jim Bray UUCP decvax!bbncca!jbray ARPA jbray@bbncca