Brandeis: Revolutionary Caribbean Connection?
In my own research for my current master’s thesis concerning American Imperialism and the Caribbean I was suppressed to encounter a Brandeis connection. Part of my research is uncovering the nature of the United States’ interaction with Revolutionary Caribbean states, in this instance, with Revolutionary Grenada (1979-1983). As part of my research, I am reading The Grenada Revolution: What Really Happened by Bernard Coard, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the former Revolutionary Government. And in consulting his memoir I discovered that Deputy Prime Minister Coard was an alumnus of Brandeis University of all places, where he studied economics. This was an exciting and crazy find.
Bernard Coard, Brandeis Alumnus, Deputy Prime Minister and finance minister of Revolutionary Grenada
Grenada during the period of 1979-1983 had been undergoing a social revolution that sought to transform the island for the better through literacy campaigns, social housing construction, and the right to employment - a socialist path. This socialist-revolutionary process lead by new Prime Minister Maurice Bishop ousted former Prime Minister Eric Gary. Eric Gairy was a puppet of the British crown that kept Grenada a quasi British colony and whom sucked the nation’s wealth dry through embezzlement of state funds. Gairy’s rule was held in place by his usage of organized crime, called the “Mongoose Gang” who would kill and abuse the political opposition to Gariy’s Regime. Gairy’s political repression and traitorous governing policies is what contributed to his ousting by the new revolutionary government.
Overthrown dictator Eric Gairy
The New Grenadian Revolutionary Government sought to distance itself from the previous administration by partnering with fellow progressive Caribbean states like Cuba and Micheal Manley’s Social Democratic Jamaica. This close alliance with Socialist Cuba and anti-imperial Jamaica is what brought Grenada into the sights of Reagan’s America. Part of Grenada’s plans to develop the island was the construction of a new airport that could accommodate commercial airlines and replace the aging anemic airport from the colonial period. This construction campaign would be to attract foreign tourists and to increase Grenada’s standing in the region. This noble effort to develop their nation was twisted by the Reagan administrator into a provocation and pretense to invade the socialist island nation and destroy their revolution.
Maurice Bishop, Micheal Manley and Dr. Fidel Castro Ruz
In the HistoryMakers digital archive I began to search for coverage of Grenada, its revolution and destruction. I began my search with the search term “Grenada” however, there were many search results coming back with "Grenada Mississippi” which is not the island nation of Grenada. So, I changed my search term to “Maurice Bishop” the Prime Minister of Revolutionary Grenada that would ensure that my search term be isolated to the Revolutionary Period of 1979 to 1983. In my search I came across an interview with television producer, journalist and professor June Cross about her coverage of Reagan’s invasion of Revolutionary Grenada.
June Cross recounts something fishy about Reagan’s justification for the invasion, she recounts “And I called Charlayne [Hunter-Gault, HM], and I said, this is the story they're floating…And they found the medical students who swore they were fine the entire time, and we basically undid the chronology, the story that the Pentagon was trying to run by everybody, which was that they were trying to save these students, these U.S. students, you know, the pretext that somehow U.S. citizens were in danger, and therefore, that called for the invasion and the--of the country and the assassination of its prime minister”. Professor Cross was able to see straight through the lies of the Reagan administrator who’s claims did not hold any water, and was essential a fabricated justification to overthrow a peaceful Caribbean nation.
Professor and Journalist Dr. June Cross
I am familiar with the invasion of Grenada and its revolution, however what I could not fathom and do admit to chuckling a bit to, is that U.S. Marines where in the process of overthrowing a nation that was substantially governed by a Brandeis Alumnus with noble goals.
Image from Reagan’s Illegal invasion of Grenada - U.S. Forces criminally detailing civilians
