Reagan’s Secret Wars
From This Day in History (The History Channel)
In his State of the Union address, President Ronald Reagan defines some of the key
concepts of his foreign policy, establishing what comes to be known as the "Reagan
Doctrine." The doctrine served as the foundation for the Reagan administration's
support of "freedom fighters" around the globe.
Reagan began his foreign policy comments with the dramatic pronouncement that,
"Freedom is not the sole prerogative of a chosen few; it is the universal right of all
God's children." America's "mission" was to "nourish and defend freedom and
democracy." More specifically, Reagan declared that, "We must stand by our
democratic allies. And we must not break faith with those who are risking their
lives—on every continent, from Afghanistan to Nicaragua—to defy Soviet-supported
aggression and secure rights which have been ours from birth." He concluded,
"Support for freedom fighters is self-defense."
1. Do you think the Reagan Doctrine is a good foreign policy for America? Why or
why not?
2. What other foreign policy doctrines that we have studied does it remind you of?
The Invasion of Grenada
It was the first major combat mission since Vietnam. The members of Navy SEAL
Team Six were to make a 1,2000 foot parachute drop into deep water, far away from
commercial shipping lanes. Once in the water, they were to swim to two Boston
Whaler Patrol boats, meet up with an Air Force Combat Control team, and, after
darkness fell, motor forty miles to the shore.
The SEALS were going on a mission to gather intelligence about the only airfield in
Grenada – a cause of consternation among Reagan and his team of advisers. Before
the invasion could take place, Reagan needed to gather intelligence on the runway.
How big was it? How many soldiers were defending it?
The SEALS had been promised clear skies, low winds, and calm seas. But when the
ramp of the plane dropped, the SEALS realized that the military planners had
forgotten to take into account the daylight savings time change, and a one-hour
miscalculation is no small thing twelve degrees north of the Equator, where the sun
drops in a hurry. “It was pitch black everywhere,” a SEAL remembered later. “We
were told it was going to be a daylight drop.”
As the jumpers dropped into darkness, they were overcome by wind and rain. They
were surprised when they hit the ocean much sooner than expected. A few later
estimated that instead of the safe jumping height of 1200 feet, they had gone out at
the dangerously low height of 600 feet.
The first eight SEALS hit the water so hard that their fins and equipment pouches
sheared off. Swells were ten feet high and the wind on the water was so stiff that
parachutes would not deflate. Many could not find the Boston Whalers, so they
decided to just swim to the Air force Command boat. Out of the 16 seals that were
dropped into the water that night, four were never found. They likely were pulled
underwater by their parachutes. An inauspicious beginning for what would become
a major foreign policy success for Reagan.
What was the reason behind Operation Urgent Fury?
Grenada’s Marxist-Leninists government had devolved into a military council after
internal conflict left the Prime Minister and his supporters dead. A curfew had been
imposed by the rattled General now in control. “Anyone violating this curfew will be
shot on sight,” a proclamation read. 800 American Medical Students at St. Georges
University Medical School were trapped on the island as potential hostages.
The goal of the invasion was to not only ensure the safety of American citizens, but
to stand up a new democratic pro-American government in Grenada. When VP
George Bush questioned the legality of a regime change by force, Reagan replied:
“Well, if we’ve got to go there, we might as well do everything that needs to be
done.”
Reagan had been beating the drum about Central America for more than two years.
He wanted to overthrow the government in Nicaragua, the Sandinistas, but Congress
passed a bill limiting the Department of Defense or the CIA from allocating any
money to foment and assist a coup in Nicaragua. Reagan’s scare tactics included
speeches like the following:
“On the small island of Grenada, at the southern end of the Caribbean chain, the
Cubans, with Soviet financing and backing, are in the process of building an
airfield with a ten thousand foot runway. Grenada doesn’t even have an air
force. Who is it intended for?
The real reason for runway had to do with increasing tourism revenue. Even Great
Britain had invested money in its construction. It was public knowledge. But when
you’re looking to rally support for a covert war in Grenada, details are sometimes
better left out.
Meanwhile, Congress continued to block requests to intervene in Central America.
In response to an intransigent Congress, Reagan issued a secret directive which
ordered his National Security Team to draw up plans for destabilizing the economy
and political institutions of Grenada, to overthrow its socialist government, and to
rid the island once and for all of its Soviet and Cuban influence. That’s when the fall
of the socialist regime provided Reagan with the opportunity he had been waiting
for.
1. Should the United States use military force or diplomacy to retrieve the hostages?
Support your answer with at least two reasons.
2. Was the president overstepping the limits of his powers by ordering the mission
secretly?
3. Does the rush of international events overtake the limits on presidential power
set forth by the Constitution?
Was Operation Urgent Fury a success?
Shortly before the incursion into Grenada, a suicide bomber drove a truck into the
US Marine Barracks in Lebanon, killing 241 soldiers. According to PBS, “Reagan’s
placement of the Marines as peacekeepers of a tenuous cease-fire between
Christians and Muslims in Lebanon had been divisive from the start.” Americans
were weary of foreign intervention well before the invasion of Grenada began.
However, resistance on Grenada melted away pretty quickly. Most of the damage
inflicted on the US was through friendly fire, due to a lack of coordinated
information between the different branches of the military. Days earlier, when
asked point blank if an invasion was pending by a reporter from NBC, Reagan’s
Deputy National Security Advisor replied, “Preposterous.” Although Americans had
subdued ground forces within two days, the secrecy and uncertainty surrounding
events in Grenada and Lebanon caused Reagan’s popularity to drop. And then
somebody took the picture…
Media!
Describe the image on the Smartboard. How do you think the American public will
react to it?
Media!
What does Reagan’s speech accomplish? Do you think he deserves his nickname,
“The Great Communicator?”
Tip O’Neil, Speaker of the House, criticizing Reagan…
“You can’t justify any government, whether it’s Russia or the United States,
trampling on another nation. I’m worried about the effects of this. Where do you
go from here? This is Machiavelli: If they can’t love ya, make ‘em feel ya. He is wrong
in his policy. He’s caused us continuous harm… He only works three and a half
hours a day. He doesn’t do his homework, He doesn’t read his briefing papers. It’s
sinful that this man is President of the United States. He lacks the knowledge that
he should have, on every sphere, whether it’s the domestic or whether it’s the
international sphere.”
1. Do you agree or disagree with O’Neil’s statement?
International Response
When asked about what he thought of the hundred nations in the UN deploring the
US invasion of Grenada, Reagan replied, “It didn’t upset my breakfast at all.”
2. Should the United States worry about international opinion?