Eric Gairy served as Grenada's first Prime Minister after independence in 1974, having previously held the posts of Chief Minister and Premier.
In 1977 and 1978 he used his position to press the United Nations to establish a body for UFO research, including a personal claim of having seen one.
- Prime Minister of Grenada 1974–1979; earlier Chief Minister 1961–1962 and Premier 1967–1974.
- October 1977: Told UN General Assembly he had seen a UFO and urged study of the phenomenon.
- November 1978: Addressed UN with scientists and astronaut Gordon Cooper on UFO research proposal.
- December 1978: UN General Assembly adopted Grenada resolution inviting member states to share UFO data.
- Overthrown March 1979 in coup while in New York for further UN UFO discussions.
- GrenadaPrime Minister 1974–1979
- Grenada United Labour PartyFounder and leader
- United NationsAddressed General Assembly on UFOs 1977–1978
- Prime Minister of GrenadaFirst after independence
Background
Eric Matthew Gairy was born on 18 February 1922 in Dunfermline, St. Andrew's Parish, Grenada, to peasant parents Douglas and Theresa Gairy. He attended local public schools and briefly worked as a teacher before leaving the island in the early 1940s.
Gairy first sought work at a U.S. military base in Trinidad, then moved to an oil refinery in Aruba. There he became active in trade union organizing, which led Dutch authorities to expel him. He returned to Grenada in December 1949.
Back home he founded the Grenada Manual, Maritime and Intellectual Workers' Union and the Grenada United Labour Party. His successful 1951 strike for higher wages on estates launched a political career; he won election to the Legislative Council that year.
Gairy rose through colonial government posts, becoming Minister of Trade and Production in 1956, Chief Minister and Minister of Finance in 1961, and Premier after the 1967 elections. He led Grenada to independence from Britain on 7 February 1974 and served as its first Prime Minister.
Throughout his premiership Gairy maintained interest in unexplained phenomena. He had already raised psychic research and the Bermuda Triangle at the UN in 1975. In 1977 he attended the First International Congress on the UFO Phenomenon in Acapulco, Mexico.
On 7 October 1977 Gairy told the UN General Assembly he had personally seen a UFO and called for debate on the subject. He proposed a modest UN committee to study reports while keeping an open mind on extraterrestrial origins.
In 1978 Gairy returned to the UN with a formal resolution and assembled a panel that included astronomer J. Allen Hynek, researcher Jacques Vallée and astronaut Gordon Cooper. The General Assembly adopted Decision 33/424 on 18 December 1978 inviting states to share UFO data.
On 13 March 1979, while Gairy was again in New York discussing the UFO initiative with UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim, the New Jewel Movement led by Maurice Bishop seized power in a largely bloodless coup. Gairy went into exile in the United States.
Gairy attempted political comebacks in 1984, 1990 and 1995 but his party won only limited seats. He suffered a stroke in 1996 and died at his home in Grand Anse, Grenada, on 23 August 1997 at age 75.
Legacy
Eric Gairy died on 23 August 1997. His UN UFO initiative remains the only instance of a sitting head of government formally proposing an international agency for the subject at the United Nations.
The 1978 resolution produced no permanent UN body; Gairy's ouster ended further action. His advocacy is cited in later discussions of government transparency on unidentified aerial phenomena.
Last updated 25 October 2026