Office of the Historian

377. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Brzezinski) to President Carter1

Washington, September 13, 1980

SUBJECT

  • The Caribbean Group (U)

You can take pride and political credit in the fact that one of the most significant initiatives of your Administration in the Caribbean area, the Caribbean Group for Cooperation in Economic Development, led by the World Bank, has proven quite successful during these past three years. The group was established in 1977, largely at your initiative,2 and now includes 31 nations and 15 international institutions. During the past three years, it has: (a) assisted these nations to adjust to severe economic problems; (b) generated more assistance to the area [Page 939] and made existing bilateral aid programs more efficient by increased coordination; (c) formulated new and important projects for the nations and for the region as a whole; and (d) encouraged the leaders of the Caribbean to become more realistic, to increasingly replace rhetoric denouncing imperialism with sounder economic policies and with new efforts to attract foreign investment. (Caribbean/Central American Action has helped in this area.)3 The only discouraging aspect of the Third Annual Meeting in Washington in June was that our “real” contribution to the Group declined during the past year.4 We cannot expect this new initiative to maintain its momentum if we reduce ours. (C)

Politically, while the media focuses on the extreme leftist regime in Grenada, the political winds in the Eastern Caribbean are definitely blowing in a moderate direction. During the past year, elections in St Vincent, Antigua, St Kitts, Dominica, and St Lucia have all resulted in the sharp defeat of leftist parties and victory for moderate and conservative parties. Grenada, which some thought an example for the future of the Caribbean, has become increasingly isolated and de-legitimized. Moreover, although a democratic government was overthrown in Suriname in February, the group, which was more moderate and pro-West, has recently prevailed over those who wanted to tie Suriname to Cuba. (C)

In early October, the heads of state of four or five of these moderate island nations in the Eastern Caribbean will be in Washington attending the IMF/World Bank Annual Meeting. You may want to consider inviting all of them to a luncheon; this would underscore an important point for the American public that many of your long-term developmental and human rights initiatives in the Caribbean have borne good results.5 (C)

  1. Source: Carter Library, National Security Affairs, Brzezinski Material, Country File, Box 46, Latin America, 6/80–1/81. Confidential. Sent for information. At the top of the page, Carter wrote, “Photo ok, Lunch—no.”↩
  2. See Documents 351, 353, and 354.↩
  3. See footnote 3, Document 333.↩
  4. See Document 376.↩
  5. Carter met briefly with leaders from Dominica, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent in early October. In telegram 6076 from Bridgetown, October 9, the Embassy described the leaders as “ebullient” and “particularly pleased with the responsiveness and attention shown them.” (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D800483–0627)↩