(UFO) THE SECRETARY'S CONVERSATION WITH PRIME MINISTER GAIRY OF GRENADA AND GAIRY'S MEETINGS WITH SENIOR STATE AND AID OFFICIALS JULY 28.- S/S 7720378.

[Terry W. Colvin]

The first line is a date-time-group. The "O" is Immediate precedence. The Zulu/UTC is from August 1977.
There are several teletypes pulled from various sources to include the vast trove of U.S. Dept. of State teletypes
put up on an Unclassified commercial server.

Terry W. Colvin
( a few miles south of Hua Hin, Thailand )
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O 042354Z AUG 77
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN IMMEDIATE
BT
C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 183284
( TWC: Declassified to Unclassified )
E.O. 11652: GDS
TAGS: EAID, GJ, PDIP
SUBJECT: (UFO) THE SECRETARY'S CONVERSATION WITH PRIME MINISTER GAIRY
OF GRENADA AND GAIRY'S MEETINGS WITH SENIOR STATE AND AID OFFICIALS
JULY 28.- S/S 7720378
1. SUMMARY: IN MEETINGS WITH SENIOR STATE AND A.I.D. OFFICIALS JULY 28,
GAIRY EXPRESSED PLEASURE WITH THE DEPARTMENT'S "NEW POLICY OF SYMPATHY"
TO GRENADA'S NEEDS, WHILE BEMOANING A.I.D.'S "UNWILLINGNESS" TO PROVIDE
ASSISTANCE ON A BILATERAL BASIS. DEPARTMENT AND AID OFFICIALS STRESSED
USG CONCERN FOR THE DEVELOPMENT NEEDS OF GRENADA AND HER CARIBBEAN
MINI-STATE NEIGHBORS, AND INDICATED USG WOULD TRY TO RESPOND TO THOSE
NEEDS BY EXPANDING THE CARIBBEAN REGIONAL A.I.D. PROGRAM AND WORKING
TO IMPROVE I.F.I. ASSISTANCE, PARTICULARLY THAT OF THE C.D.B. THE
SECRETARY SAID HE WOULD ASK A.I.D. TO SEND AN ECONOMIC SURVEY TEAM
TO GRENADA AS THE FIRST STOP OF A CARIBBEAN TRIP IN THE FALL AND
TO EXPEDITE ACTION ON GRENADA'S REVISED REQUEST FOR EXCESS PROPERTY.
GAIRY ALSO ASKED FOR U.S. SUPPORT OF UN RESOLUTIONS ON UFO'S AND
AID TO THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN, AND PROMISED TO SIGN THE UNIVERSAL
DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS. END SUMMARY
2. ON JULY 28, UNDER SECRETARY PHILIP HABIB HOSTED A LUNCH FOR
GRENADIAN PRIME MINISTER GAIRY, AFTER WHICH GAIRY MET WITH AID
ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR ABELARDO VALDEZ, AND MADE A COURTESY CALL ON
SECRETARY VANCE. HE WAS ACCOMPANIED AT EACH MEETING BY AMBASSADOR
WELLINGTON FRIDAY, PERMANENT SECRETARY GLORIA PAYNE, "MISS GRENADA"
MARGERITE PRUEDHOMME, AND CIVIL SERVANT ANSELM FRANCIS.
3. DESPITE A SORE THROAT AND A HINT OF EXHAUSTION, GAIRY CLEARLY
ENJOYED THE LUNCHEON, DURING WHICH HE AND HABIB TRADED REMINISCENCES
OF CARIBBEAN LEADERS OF THE EARLY 1960'S. HE APPEARED TO FOCUS MORE
ON THE EXPRES- SIONS OF FRIENDSHIP AND INTEREST BY HABIB AND ASSISTANT
SECRETARY TODMAN THAN ON THEIR REPEATED STATEMENTS THAT U.S. ASSISTANCE
TO GRENADA AND THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN WAS MORE LIKELY TO BE REGIONAL
AND MULTILATERAL RATHER THAN BILATERAL.
4. IN A SUBSEQUENT 90 MINUTE MEETING WITH VALDEZ, GAIRY GREW IMPATIENT
WHEN VALDEZ INDICATED THAT 1973 LEGISLA- TION LIMITED A.I.D. TO THE
AREAS OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AGRICULTURE, AND FAMILY PLANNING. WHEN
TOLD A.I.D. WAS UNABLE TO FINANCE AN AIRPORT OR ROADS FOR TOURISM,
GAIRY INSISTED THAT THERE HAD TO BE A WAY FOR BILATERAL AID TO A
SPECIAL CASE LIKE GRENADA. HE HALTED VALDEZ'S PROJECT-BY-PROJECT
REVIEW OF THE REQUESTS HE HAD GIVEN SECRETARY VANCE IN JUNE, SAYING
HE HAD NOT COME TO DISCUSS A.I.D.'S LIMITATIONS OR THE REGIONAL
PROGRAM, BUT TO TALK ABOUT A BILATERAL PROGRAM FOR GRENADA. HE
INSISTED THAT GRENADA SHOULD BE DEALT WITH BILATERALLY, AS A
SOVEREIGN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY, NOT AS PART OF A REGION.
5. VALDEZ ECHOED LUNCHEON STATEMENTS BY HABIB AND TODMAN THAT THE
U.S. WANTED TO BE AS HELPFUL AS POSSIBLE IN MOBILIZING ALL POTENTIAL
SOURCES OF ASSISTANCE. HE INDICATED THAT WE WOULD RESPOND TO GRENADA'S
DEVELOPMENT NEEDS WHEREVER POSSIBLE. HE ALSO PROMISED TO REVIEW THE
REVISED EXCESS PROPERTY LIST GRENADA HAD GIVEN TOM STUMAN (A.I.D.
REGIONAL OFFICE, BRIDGETOWN). GAIRY CLOSED THE MEETING ABRUPTLY
AFTER STATING HIS BITTER DISAPPOINTMENT THAT A.I.D. WAS STILL,
AFTER 17 YEARS, "PASSIVELY RESISTING" HIS REQUEST FOR BILATERAL
AID, DESPITE "GOOD VIBRATIONS" FROM PRESIDENT CARTER, VANCE, HABIB,
AND TODMAN.
6. GAIRY, RATHER TIRED, THEN MET FOR 15 MINUTES WITH SECRETARY
VANCE AND TODMAN. HE SUMMARIZED HIS DISAPPOINT- MENT WITH
A.I.D.'S "PASSIVE RESISTANCE" AND PLEADED GRENADA'S "SPECIAL CASE"
FOR BILATERAL ASSISTANCE. THE SECRETARY SAID HE WOULD ASK A.I.D.
TO GET AN ECONOMIC SURVEY TEAM TO GRENADA IN SEPTEMBER OR OCTOBER
AS PART OF A VISIT TO THE REGION, AND SAID HE WOULD TRY TO MEET
GAIRY'S REQUEST THAT THE TEAM STOP IN GRENADA FIRST. HE ALSO
PROMISED TO ASK A.I.D. TO EXPEDITE ACTION ON GAIRY'S EXCESS
PROPERTY LIST.
7. IN RESPONSE TO GAIRY'S QUESTION, THE SECRETARY REAFFIRMED THAT
THE U.S. WOULD HAVE A LEGAL PROBLEM ACCEPT- ING A U.S. CITIZEN AS
AN AMBASSADOR FROM GRENADA. WHEN GAIRY ASKED THAT A U.S. DIPLOMATIC
MISSION BE OPENED IN GRENADA, THE SECRETARY INDICATED THAT WE COULD
NOT DO SO, BUT THAT AMBASSADOR ORTIZ WOULD BE VISITING GRENADA
REGULARLY. HE MADE NO COMMITMENT TO GAIRY'S REQUEST THAT THE U.S.
CO-SPONSOR A UN RESOLUTION BY GRENADA CALLING FOR A UN BUREAU FOR
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH INTO UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS (UFO'S) AND
DESIGNATING 1978 AS THE "YEAR OF THE UFO." ON HIS WAY OUT OF THE
BUILDING, GAIRY PROMISED TODMAN THAT GRENADA WOULD SIGN THE UNIVERSAL
DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS.
8. COMMENT: GAIRY LEFT WASHINGTON WITHOUT ACHIEVING HIS GOAL - A
COMMITMENT FOR U.S. BILATERAL AID - BUT WITH A STRONG SENSE OF USG
SYMPATHY FOR GRENADA. HIS ANTIPATHY TOWARD REGIONAL/MULTILATERAL
ASSISTANCE SEEMS BASED ON BOTH ITS UNRESPONSIVENESS TO HIS REAL NEED
(BUDGET SUPPORT) AND ITS IMPLIED DENIGRATION OF HIS "SOVEREIGNTY."
CHRISTOPHER
BT