The Grenada DocumentsThe United States Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in Washington received over five [5] tons of documents collected by US armed forces on Grenada. The DIA arranged to have the documents converted into microfiche form. Microfiche is a permanent way to store many documents in a reduced form. The fiche, as they are called, are viewed by way of a microfiche reader, enlarging the photos [usually of text] on the fiche. Each fiche is assigned a number. Some sets have multiple fiche. Many fiche with a single document number reproduce different and often widely varying documents.
These are called “The Grenada Documents Collection, ” Record Group 373, National Archives Microfiche T1280, housed at the National Archives II modern facility in College Park, Maryland. Masses of material, virtually all in English, provide a huge body of primary source material on the People's Revolutionary Government (PRG) during its existence from 13 March 1979 to 25 October 1983. The documents represent the critical mass of the entire body of paperwork produced by the Peoples Revolutionary Government (PRG), generally from 1979 to October 1983. The original Grenada documents were "seized," a word used by a National Archives information sheet. They were acquired by US soldiers from government buildings such as Butler House and Fort Frederick. A first-person account by Michael D. Roberts relates information pertinent to one location of documents -
Woodward reports that Casey said some secret documents were booby-trapped and had to be defused. Closely reading the National Archives Index of the documents abstract titles, causes one to visualize massive amounts of open file drawers emptied with all contents removed and photographed for microfiche processing, in addition to Confidential, Secret and Top Secret files. Bombed extensively by US forces during late October, 1983, Butler House was once the site of the Santa Maria Hotel, previously the Islander Hotel, thus the medallion in the foreground of the photo below. 
©2002, Butler House bombing remains 1983-2007, photo by Ann Elizabeth Wilder
Herbert Romerstein, one editor of the 1984 US Government publication The Grenada Documents, wrote that “tens of thousands documents” from Grenada were taken to the United States; 38,000 pounds. ” Dujmovic in The Grenada Documents: Window on Totalitarianism describes the material as “an estimated 500,000 pages.” The fiche collection at the National Archives II in College Park, MD, measures 500 shelf feet. Mark D. Hill, staff reporter of The Berkeley Review, Volume 3, Issue 13 of October 31, 1984, sums up one location where the documents were seized: “Most of the 35,000 documents captured (over 5 tons in weight) were recovered from the home of the Prime Minister of Grenada, Maurice C. Bishop. 
©2002, photo by Ann Elizabeth Wilder before Hurricane Ivan, 7 September 2004
The original paper documents were signed over by the Defense Intelligence Agency to the National Archives. When you reach the main page at this site, search on 'Grenada.' The Defense Intelligence Agency provided an index in two volumes and produced approximately 14,000 microfiche of reproductions of the documents. To repeat, these microfiche cards are available for public reference in the National Archives II facility in College Park, Maryland. An unspecified number of microfiche cards were pulled for security reasons by the Department of Defense and the State Department before and after the publication of the printed index [last date of 5 August 1985]. Some fiche have been removed by the National Archives II, according to their information sheet, "to protect the privacy of individuals." And quite frankly, over the years, some of these portable microfiche cards have "disappeared" despite security at the National Archives in its new facility at College Park, Maryland. Where the original documents are located, as of this writing, is a mystery. "Officially," the original documents are supposed to have been returned to Grenada. NARA states the original documents have been returned to Grenada at Return to Grenada of Original Documents. If you don't get the exact paragraph, scroll down to 373.2 General Records - Related Records. Pertinent information leading to the location of the Grenada Documents is the [Declassified] U.S. State Department Memorandum of 29 March 1984 to Robert C. McFarlane. Rumour at one point put the original Grenada documents in Grenada around August 1985 and housed at Police Headquarters, Fort George. The location and accession of the original Grenada Documents remains obscured, to say the least. Three versions of selections from these Grenada documents were issued; actually four. They are - (1) the U.S. government publication edited by Herbert Romerstein and Michael Ledeen, Grenada Documents: An Overview and Selection (1984) consisting of only photocopies of the Grenada documents (2) The Grenada Papers, published by conservative think-tank the Institute of Contemporary Studies, edited by Paul Seabury and Walter A. McDougall with transcriptions set in type [including numerous copy-editing errors from the retyping] (3) Brian Crozier's edition, printed in the U.K., The Grenada Documents with transcriptions set in type [including numerous copy-editing errors from the retyping] (4) Captured Documents, 4 volumes published in 1983 at the University of Pittsburgh Library and a 1 volume archival set, published also in 1983, at the University of Texas at Austin. The editors made the selection and provide commentary. There are additional studies where original documents appear in the context or appendix of books. See the Bibliography page. It is noted that in the widest distribution of the 'Grenada Documents' in large paperbound book form, Grenada Documents: An Overview and Selection (1984), the editors Herbert Romerstein and Michael Arthur Ledeen have career associations with the US Government.
Romerstein, at the time of issuance of the documents, was with the US Information Agency (USIA). He was a former member of Communist Youth, became disillusioned and spent sixteen years on Capitol Hill as professional staff member and chief investigator for several congressional committees, including the House Intelligence Committee and the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Romerstein joined the USIA in 1982 "to expose Soviet disinformation," according to Snyder in Warriors for Disinformation. Romerstein was head of the Office to Counter Soviet Disinformation at the United States Information Agency from 1983-1989. Now retired, Romerstein continues to write and lecture on the subject of Soviet espionage. His most recent book, The Venona Secrets , is an account of Soviet World War II espionage against the United States, based largely on documents that he and his wife obtained in Moscow from the Soviet Archives. Following the issuance of the documents, Michael Ledeen played a central role and was a participant in meetings arranging the arms for hostages exchange involving Oliver North. Ledeen was consultant, national security adviser to the president, 1982-1986; consultant, under secretary of political affairs, U.S. State Department, 1982-1986; consultant, Office of the Secretary of Defense, 1982-1986 and special adviser to the Secretary of State, 1981-1982. The most sensational of these documents was the 13 September 1982, confidential Line of March for the Party - Part One Line of March for the Party - Part Two Line of March for the Party - Part Three The microfiched documents and their 2-volume index at NARA provide much information, but little practical search aids. The fiche are numbered starting with "DSI-83-C-[six digit number]." A researcher, namely John Cotman, Ph.D., created his " . . . own index to the microfiche collection," according to an email of 28 January 2002, "based on 968 microfiche". . . which were thought " . . . crucial for a complete and balanced view of the revolution. The fiche indexed include all of Bishop's personal papers and official papers, all the PRG and NJM documents . . . all the Cuban government and PCC documents . . ." The index gives details on 1052 key documents. In 1989, Cotman's Index to the NARA Grenada Documents was donated to NARA in College Park, MD. Researchers may ask for this material by asking for the index material in the gray file boxes because at last check, this addition and helpful index is not identified as a donation from Cotman. An online index of the Grenada Documents became available in early 2003 for researchers. Start with Index to NARA Grenada Documents. Wait for the ADD Search Orange Button and click. On next page select "Indexes to Other Records". On following page scroll down to "Index to the Intelligence Reports on Seized Grenada Documents 22 November 1983 - 7 February 1985" (which covers the time period of 11 July 1919 - 31 December 1984). From there you are on your own because the detail of further research is much too complicated to outline here. Do try to use all the aids - like Search Tips. You might find yourself timed out. Once you find the record, you find there is no print command available. Keep working with the site and things will fall into place. Take a trip to the National Archives II at College Park, Maryland. The indexes are available in hard copy. Your first run-through will be spent receiving a Researcher's Card. You can go through the routines of NARA and finally enter the microfiche room. There is staff to help you with your search into what Thorndike has termed - Don't know if you want to " . . . dissect the problems . . .," but the trip to the US National Archives II is worth it. |
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