Eric Gairy

First administration: 1967–72

Gairy won the 1967 general election and formed a new administration as Premier of the Associated State of Grenada.

Miss World controversy

In the 1970 Miss World pageant in London, controversy followed after Grenadian contestant Jennifer Hosten won, and another black contestant from South Africa placed second. Since Gairy was on the judging panel, inevitably there were many accusations that the contest had been rigged. The BBC and newspapers received numerous protests about the result, and accusations of racism were made by all sides. Four of the nine judges had given first-place votes to Miss Sweden, Marjorie Christel Johansson, while Miss Grenada received only two firsts, yet Johansson finished fourth. Some of the audience gathered in the street outside Royal Albert Hall after the contest and chanted "Swe-den, Swe-den". Four days later, organising director Julia Morley (1941-) resigned because of the intense pressure from the newspapers. Years later Johansson was reported as saying that she had been cheated out of the title.

Second administration 1972–74

Gairy won the 1972 general election and formed a new administration as Premier of the Associated State of Grenada.

First administration: 1974–76

Gairy became the first Prime Minister of Grenada when Grenada achieved independence from Great Britain on 7 February 1974. Gairy's term in office coincided with civil strife in Grenada. The political environment was highly charged, with Gairy's secret police, the Mongoose Gang, terrorizing opponents.

Second administration: 1976–79

Gairy's party narrowly won the 1976 election but the result was declared fraudulent by international observers due to intimidation of the opposition by the Mongoose Gang.

On 27 November 1978, Eric Gairy led a group including scientists and an astronaut in addressing the United Nations on the subject of UFOs.

US citizens helped to support the overthrow of Eric Gairy with solidarity movements. One such solidarity movement existed in San Antonio, Texas and was headed by African-American activist Mario Marcel Salas, who was active in his overthrow on a number of levels. Civil strife took the form of street violence between government supporters, including the Mongoose Gang, and gangs organized by the New Jewel Movement (NJM). In the late 1970s, the NJM began planning to overthrow the government, with party members receiving military training outside of Grenada.

In 1979, a rumour circulated that Gairy would use the Gang to eliminate leaders of the New Jewel Movement while he was out of the country.^[4][5] In response, Bishop overthrew Gairy in March of that year while the latter was visiting the United States.^[6]

On 13 March 1979, while Gairy was at the UN, the New Jewel Movement led by Maurice Bishop launched a bloodless coup and overthrew the government. Bishop suspended the constitution, and the New Jewel Movement ruled the country with mass support from the population until 1983. Anti-Gairy activity was carried out in the United States in support of the revolution to overthrow Gairy, including activists in San Antonio, Texas.^[7]