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Show ,- ; -Ji..1r :,." - ;- I ; ... . - i - .. , - -. : i f - ''...' r- .t - - I - - - 11 -. , j'" -j v; ' I : I 4 - ' ' ' - X" . - s " ft VlTH l'l'KI'l'C'r riJMATK. tropical fruits growing " abundance, and a famed waterfront, these residents of (irenada seem to hac the good lile, but do they? Pleasant Grove men study effects of American intervention in Grenada Two local professors recently returned from studyirg the effects of the American intervention in Grenada. Bruce Chadwick and Stan Albrecht, both professors of Sociology at BYU, spent 10 days in Grenada examining social and political conditions following the American ouster of the Russians and Cubans. Grenada with its 110,000 population was a British Colony until it was granted independence in 1974. Eric Gairy was elected Prime Minister, but proved to be a heavy-handed dictator. He was overthrown in a coup lead by Maurice Bishop, an avowed Marxist, in 1979 which most Grenadans refer to as the "Revolution." Bishop established close ties with Cuba, Russia and other communist block countries. Captured papers reveal that the Marxist government saw religion as the - major threat to the revolution and did all it could to reduce the influence of both the Catholic and Protestant churches. In addition, political education was introduced in the schools and adults were required to spend two hours each week in similar training. The Government used the economic assets of the country to offer free education and medical care and higher wages for workers. While these were popular with some, most citizens realized that they were given at the expense of the country's water supply, electrical and road systems. Chadwick and Albrecht found to their dismay that the water would be turned off for as long as 24 hours at a time and the electricity nearly as long. The roads were nearly impassable. Bishop himself seemed to recognize that socialism had bankrupt the country and last summer indicated a desire to patch things up with the United States. Shortly thereafter Bishop was arrested by the military and a hardline Marxist assumed leadership. Young people from the secondary schools marched on the iail and freed Bishop. They were confronted by the military which opened fire on them. No one knows how many young people were killed as the bodies were hauled by truck to the port and taken out to sea. Estimates vary from 50 to over 200. Chadwick and Albrecht talked to one man who claimed that he knew a family that had lost five children in the massacre. A few families were able to grab the bodies of their children off the trucks and to give them a burial. Bishop was executed at this time. Two days later, October 25, 1983, American forces landed and deposed the unpopular military junta. Most Grenadans expressed strong support for the American presence using phrases like "God bless Mr. Reagan" and "America saved us from slavery." The researchers were especially interested in the public schools and collected 800 questionnaires from students in the secondary schools (high schools). In two of the six schools they visited they found strong opposition to the Americans and a desire to re-establish ties with Cuba. The Bishop government had worked hard in its political educational program to undermine the authority of parents, teachers and religious leaders. Apparently it was successful in some schools as the students talked of "smelling blood in the air" and impending "civil war" which will wrest power from the hands of those over 25 and put it in the hands of the youth. They claimed that they train in the hills on Sundays to use Cuban and Soviet weapons and that conflict is inevitable. These young people were very sincere in their desire for a socialist government and unless the US helps the Grenadan Government to overcome some of its economic problems it is likely that many of the young people will take to the streets and hills in opposition to the current democracy. The researchers plan on additional trips to Grenada to study the impacts of the American presence on the economy, churches, politics and family. They are negotiating with several foundations to secure funding for a large study of social change following a sudden change, in political systems. |