Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume E–11, Part 1, Documents on Mexico; Central America; and the Caribbean, 1973–1976

436. Telegram 135953 From the Department of State to the Embassy in Jamaica¹

Washington, July 11, 1973, 2327Z.

135953. For Ambassador De Roulet. Subject: Ambassador Fletcher Calls.

1. Jamaican Ambassador Douglas Fletcher telephoned Deptoff (Burke) this morning (July 11) for an urgent appointment to discuss a matter of importance. When he arrived a half hour later, he said that he had received telephonic instructions from Kingston on the evening of July 10 to come to the Department to discuss a sensitive matter. He said that according to his information Prime Minister Manley would be raising the same subject with you, probably during the course of July 11.

2. Obviously somewhat embarrassed, Fletcher took a bit of time in getting to the point. He said that his government had learned (source unidentified) that the American Embassy in Kingston had reported or was on the point of submitting a report to Washington that Jamaica was “on the verge of going Communist under the leadership of Prime Minister Manley.” He said that he had instructions to assure the USG in the strongest terms that the Manley government was most friendly to the U.S., wished to continue to have the best of relations with the U.S., and, despite recent contacts with Cuba, did not intend to head down the primrose path to Marxism any time soon.

3. Fletcher was informed that Deptoff had no knowledge of any recent reporting from Embassy Kingston which indicated any radical shift in Jamaican policy either toward the U.S. or the Communist world. Deptoff cited the Secretary’s recent successful visit to Jamaica as being illustrative of fact that relationship as far as we were concerned was based on a solid friendly foundation. Deptoff referred also to Prime Minister Manley’s visit to Washington in the fall of 1972 at which time he had had mutually satisfactory exchanges with several high officials of USG.

4. In Fletcher’s rather elliptical approach to the subject, there was some hint that Manley, or those around Manley who had set him in motion to make this démarche, were somewhat fearful that Prime Minister had not been able to establish same rapport with U.S. that had existed with Prime Minister Shearer. Without replying to the point directly, Deptoff assured Fletcher that we valued highly the relationship which had grown up between you and Manley, his accessibility to you, and how this channel had enabled us to resolve quickly questions of common interest when they had arisen.

5. At the conclusion of the interview Fletcher’s embarrassment at having been obliged to make the démarche had intensified. He said that he would be getting in touch with Kingston immediately to report his conversation and possibly to register a strong complaint at having been sent on this errand in the first place.

Rogers

1. Summary: The Department informed Ambassador De Roulet of a meeting in which Jamaican Ambassador Douglas Fletcher assured the Office of Caribbean Affairs of Jamaican friendship with the United States, noting that his government had received reports indicating that the U.S. Embassy in Kingston had characterized Manley’s administration as being “on the verge of going Communist.”

   Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Country Files—Latin America, Box 786, Jamaica, Vol. I. Confidential; Immediate; Nodis; Eyes Only. Drafted and approved by Burke and cleared by Shlaudeman.