Sir Eric Gairy

Early Life and Political Rise

Sir Eric Matthew Gairy was born February 18, 1922, in St. Andrews Parish, Grenada. Beginning as a labor activist, he organized the Grenada Manual and Mental Workers' Union and rose to political prominence, serving as Chief Minister (1961–1962), Premier (1967–1974), and becoming the first Prime Minister of independent Grenada (1974–1979).

UFO Advocacy and UN Initiative

Gairy became convinced that extraterrestrial beings posed a global threat and dedicated significant diplomatic resources to establishing international UFO investigation mechanisms. In 1977, he formally proposed a UN resolution for the creation of a worldwide UFO investigation agency. His efforts culminated in a historic November 28, 1978 hearing at the UN Special Political Committee on UFO phenomena, featuring prominent researchers including J. Allen Hynek, Jacques Vallée, and Col. Lawrence Coyne.

Leonard Stringfield, a respected UFO researcher, served as Gairy's official UFO research adviser during this period. The British government, as revealed in National Archives documents, expressed dismay at Gairy's UFO proposals and viewed his initiative as diplomatically awkward.

Political Decline and Legacy

Gairy's tenure as Prime Minister ended abruptly in March 1979 when he was overthrown in a bloodless coup by Maurice Bishop while attending UFO discussions in New York. He attempted political comeback in 1984, but GULP (his Grenada United Labour Party) won only single seats in subsequent elections (1 seat in 1984, 2 in 1990).

His political career was marked by allegations of human rights abuses and association with the 'Mongoose Gang,' a paramilitary organization. Gairy died August 23, 1997, leaving behind an unmatched legacy as the only sitting head of state to champion UFO investigation on the global stage.