This is the TRUE story of Anguilla. Much has been written, much has been spoken. Never has the full story seen aired to the outside world. It seemed as though the myriad of reporters, TV men, and newspaper writers who have visited Anguilla would do this. None has. The “muzzle” of mother England has been applied.
Let’s take a brief look at Anguilla. It is a relatively flat sandy island with no forests, very little fresh water, rough roads, poor schools, no decent docking facilities, a rudimentary airport, no electricity, no telephones, no television, no sewers and very little food. It has two so-called industries. Each year, several hundred thousand pounds of salt are harvested and shipped from the salt ponds. A very seasonal business. Each week, about 2000 pounds of lobster are shipped by air when the sea is not too rough for the men to haul the pots.
Now let’s examine the people. Here we have a breed unto themselves. Proud? Certainly they’re proud, but then you find this on other islands, too. But take a second look. You will not find one tarpaper and galvanized shack on this island! As you have seen above, there is no worthwhile work here. The young men who are able-bodied leave here and seek work in the United States (there are more Anguillans living around metropolitan New York than there are on the mother island) or on other islands, primarily the U.S. Virgin Islands. They are a clean, thrifty, industrious people, all of whom have a goal in life. Each one saves a specific amount of his weekly wages, no matter what happens that week. A specific amount of money, or better yet food, is sent home each week. You should see the air taxis when they arrive on Saturday with food! Only after these self-inflicted obligations are met does the Anguillian think of his own comfort. What is his goal? To build a good concrete home for his wife and his family.
What does the island have then? Beaches? – probably the finest in the world. Cleanliness – probably the cleanest island in the West Indies. Odors? – one would really have to make a search to find them. Climate – try to beat it anywhere in the world. Not too hot, never cold. The sea? – Clear, worm and beautiful. The people? – this is the real difference. I challenge anyone to find a warmer, kinder, friendlier, group of people.
What then, is this revolution all about?
England colonized this island about 1650. During the days of slavery, attempts were made to grow tobacco and Sea Island cotton. Salt was a big business in the days of sailing ships. Subsequent to the days of slavery, England sort of forgot her “bastard son” Forgot it to the point that, except for a few automobiles and airplanes, the island is pretty much the same. One finds the three ports still full of sailing ships, not motor vessels. Twice in it’s history, Anguilla was forced to come under the government of St. Kitts – it was “just too small and too weak to govern itself” In 1967 when England granted associated statehood to St. Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla, Anguilla was forced again under the yoke of St. Kitts. Of a 9 seat legislature, 1 seat went to Nevis, and 1 to Anguilla. Monies sent to Anguilla were diverted for projects on St. Kitts. Typical of this is the sum that was specifically earmarked for a better dock on Anguilla. The dock was built all right – on St. Kitts! The crowning insult was its name. The “Anguilla Dock”. The same can be said for electricity, roads, sewers, telephones and schools.
About this time, a sterner Anguillian emerged. He rose to an unbelievable height and said – “No, man! – I don’t want any more of this “bastard son” bit. I want to go it alone! St. Kitts and England have had me for 300 years. Look around me – our treasury is constantly depleted. I have no roads, no water, on electricity, on telephone. My children must attend sub-standard schools. Must I be forced to continue working as a laborer? Must my wife continue to work as a chambermaid? Must this be the destiny of my children?” Then England made several feeble attempts to coerce the Anguillians back under the yoke. These “arrangements” proved wholly unsatisfactory. On May 30, 1967, they (The Anguillians) disarmed the Kittian “police” force and put them aboard air taxis and delivered them to their doorstep. The last of the air taxis and it’s pilot were detained overnight.
Along about this time, too, a new leader emerged. A self-effacing, soft-spoken, quiet thinking, deeply religious man called Ronald Webster. Who is Webster? A man you or I would be proud to be. He has a grip like an iron vice. He is consumed by a desire to be fair to everyone. He will listen to you. He will ponder before he makes a decision.
A referendum was held to be certain that independence was the will of the people. The vote was just a couple of votes short on unanimous. Everything that has happened on this island is a direct result of the will of the people. All of the council members were elected fairly and squarely. There was on coercion! There was no shotgun voting! There were no payoffs! The council has changed a little in subsequent elections. Again, it was the will of the people.
Britain set up an “interim period” in January 1968 for 1 year. It had hoped to find a solution the “Anguilla problem” during the year. A Senior British Officer, Mr. Tony Lee, was placed on the island. At first Mr. Lee had the problem of suspicion to overcome. The people begged Britain to make an arrangement other than the St. Kitts alliance. Lee seemed to understand the problem and it was felt that he was sympathetic. On several occasions toward the end, he told this writer that he was “totally” sympathetic but unable to budge the foreign office from their firm stand.
AT the end of this interim period, the people of Anguilla Great Britain, and probably the world were deluged with the most unspeakable insults over Z I Z, the state radio station on St. Kitts. Constant references were made to “Webster and his gang”, “gangsterism”, “guns” “cannon”, “mine fields” “gambling interests”, and “disease spread by an American owned plastic’s factory”. Names were used in man instances. Early in February 1969, this form of attack was withdrawn, obviously when the premier, Mr. Robert Bradshaw, discovered that the Anguillians were laughing at him.
Now came the next chapter of the story. This is the story that has NOT gone out to the world. After the Anguillians gave up all hope for direct association with Britain, a constitution, very like our United States constitution, was drawn up and submitted to a referendum. It carried 1739 to 4. Plans were proceeding for a general election of the legislative and executive branches. The judiciary was to be considered next.
Mr. William Whitlock, a junior undersecretary of the British foreign office arrived in the West Indies and spent many days consulting with everyone BUT Anguilla. It appeared that he had nothing for Anguilla and was preparing to return to England. Suddenly, an entourage appeared on Anguilla and announced that Mr. Whitlock was going to visit after all. Plans were made horridly for a VIP welcome. Comfortable American cars were polished up, a reception luncheon was arranged, the children were excused from school and sent to the airport, and governmental offices were closed. This all ordered by Mr. Webster
What happened next is to be Britain’s shame forever. Mr. Whitlock stepped off the plane and attempted to brush Webster aside, who had advanced to shake his hand. Webster was so taken aback he attempted again to shake hands. This time Whitlock had no choice, the pressure of the crowd forced his hand. After a short speech, he produced a bundle of papers which he threw into the air rather than hand out. Next he proceeded past the waiting cars, jumped into a private automobile and disappeared. The local government officials assumed that he would appear shortly at the reception.
After waiting some hours, tempers were wearing a little thin. A search was instituted and Whitlock was found to be in a private home having cocktails and lunch. The rest is now highly exaggerated history. By this time, the Anguillians were known highly incensed by the insults they had already suffered at Whitlock’s hand. The “paper” which he had thrown into the air contained nothing new for them. Webster made several efforts to talk to Whitlock. Again he was brushed aside. The viewing populace decided about this time that it would stand no more insults and became perceptibly belligerent. Webster ordered Whitlock to leave for his own safety. Whitlock countered with “have these boys turn in those rifles-we have taken over”. This was another crowning insult. Several shots were fired into the air. At this Whitlock and his staff left horridly, in a plane provided by Webster. The Anguillians walked around afterward with smug faces telling each other – “he treat her (Anguilla) like a dog, so she treat him like a pig”.
Immediately after Whitlock’s departure, the verbal barrages abandoned early in February, began anew. This time Mr. Bradshaw’s words were mouthed by Whitlock, only now over the mighty BBC. This was window dressing – but for what? Anguilla waited and held its breath. They world now heard Mr. Webster called the “self –styled president”. Do we Americans call Mr. Nixon our “self-styled president”? Would we permit anyone else to do so? (Ed – Webster won by a much larger majority than Mr. Nixon.) We again heard the words “gangsters”, “Mafia”, Castroism”, “communism”,”gambling interests”, and the new one, “Mauism”. We again heard the words “cannon”, “automatic machine pistols”, “high caliber rifles”.
Now Britain pulled it’s biggest boo boo out of the hat. It practically announced its intention of invading. Pleas from Anguilla to the U.N. went unheeded in that body. The verbal barrier continued over BBC. Anguilla changed its plea to demand for an investigating team to determine the veracity of these changes. Britain walked out.
On March 19,1969, in best M. G. M. fashion, the “Red Devils” of the British armed forces invaded this island at dawn. Shortly after dawn a dump truck load of soldiers “captured” a retired American Veterinarian. Another truck load “captured” a middle aged manufacturer and his wife who managed to make a living for himself and his family stamping out mica insulators with native labor. The next dangerous “gangster” rounded up was the local Baptist missionary. Since he was on the airport watching the invasion, a separate detachment had to be sent to his home to apprehend his wife and two small children. Somewhere along the line, they also seized a Florida businessman who deals in real estate. After holding him for about six hours he was “permanently deported”. The other Americans were questioned, held about four hours, and then released. To keep these dangerous Americans in line, the new commissioner announced that he was seriously considering deporting two more of the Americans.
What did the British learn at the inquisition? What can you learn from honest people who have one a day’s work and have gone to a quiet Caribbean island to take life a little easier? What does a gangster look like? Maybe the Mafia could do better by us than England has in 300 years? Where do you call them up? We do know that there are some card-carrying communists in Mr. Bradshaw’s government, but how does communism get started in a place where everyone is happy with his newly elected government? Where everyone owns his own home because he built it himself? Where his home is paid for? Where are all these “automatic machine pistols” yourself, Mr. Whitlock? Did you see them when you “investigated” Anguilla? Did you count them?
The Scotland Yard boys did learn something. The “cannon” is an old iron “Falcon”, vintage late 1700’s mounted on a driftwood carriage in the veterinarian’s front yard. The “mine field” is an electric service wire run from the manufacturer’s generator through the bush, to a nearby cottage. The “casino”, which they already knew, is a motion picture theatre about half completed.
Scotland Yard had a complete dossier on every American on the island. Why the inquisition at all? England had egg all over her royal face. England had spent more on this island in 5 minutes than she had in 300 years. One native stated, as he watched food being unloaded at the airport, “after hurricane Donna leveled the island in 1960 – England didn’t send us one ounce of food. God bless the Americans”.
Pretenses had now to be kept up. Reasonable excuses had to be made. Somebody had to be “deported”. The Florida businessman looked good. He didn’t own any property here, who was to be hurt? A charge was dreamed up and heralded all over the world. New services twisted and stretched truths at the other end, not here. Britain began sending a little bit to more fit the stories the newsmen were sending back. At the press conferences, the English newsmen were more abusive of Britain’s intervention that the American newsmen. Jamaica and Trinidad called for Britain to move out, bag and baggage.
Britain now talks about establishing “law and order” on the BBC. Law and order for whom? There is no unlawfulness on Anguilla. There is no disorder. There never has been. There is no crime, Anguillians don’t steal. They don’t speed. They don’t kill. Granted, a system of laws must exist for any orderly society. That was coming in April! First the constitution, then the election, and then the adoption of laws. That’s how we did it in America and we haven’t done too badly. Incidentally, we did it for somewhat the same reasons, too.
What is the aftermath? No one knows at this date. Ronald Webster was spirited out of the island and has reportedly gone to the U.N. It is known, in the inner circle, that the premier of Jamaica has asked him to come there for high level talks. The BBC has stated that he represents a minority group on Anguilla. They claim he rules by threat of arms and violence. The FACT is, there are between 5 and 10 people out of the total population of 6000, who disagree with his principles. Why a total vote of 2000 on an island of 6000? Consider the foregoing statements. This island of 6000 consists of very elderly people or very young people. There are probably only 2000 able to walk to the polls. Anguillians know this, the younger ones who work off the island have been flocking back to be with their families.
What of Tony Lee, the new commissioner? In the eyes of the Anguillians, he has gone “down the drain”. He is a Benedict Arnold. They feel that he could have stopped this charade. He knew these allegations were bald face lies! He knew the Anguillians were begging for British associations – all they wanted was to get out from under St. Kitts and what they consider it’s dictator. The day after the invasion, Lee had Webster barred from his office. The next day the Anguillians barred Lee from his office. A crowd waited out side the door 24 hours a day to make sure he didn’t enter. Food is brought to them and they work in shifts. There has been a large demonstration every day. Always peaceful. Yesterday well over 350 staged a beauty. Dressed in their best Sunday clothes, church bells tolling, they carried a coffin for miles in typical funeral procession. And buried Tony Lee.
Who indeed, is this Webster? He used what little resources he had available to him, plus thousands of his own dollars and built 6 miles of paved road. He erected streetlights in the “Valley” utilizing left over power from the pumping plant. He had men smooth other roads. He wound up 1966 with something over $90,000 in the treasury. A “first” in Anguilla history.
The writer poses these questions to Mr. Michael Stewart, Mr. William Whitlock, Mr. Robert Bradshaw, and to mother England. Where is this Mafia? Where are those gangsters? Where are those guns (we admit the cannon)? Where are †he Mau Mau’s? Where are the Castroites?
For shame England.
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
