ROOSEVELT DOUGLAS

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06744196
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: April 23, 2018
• Case Number: F-2017-01651
• Publication Date: March 14, 2000

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Roosevelt DOUGLAS
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DOMINICA
Prime Minister; Minister of Foreign Affairs, of
Labor, of Immigration, and of National Security
(since February 2000)
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Addressed as: Mr. Prime Minister
Self-styled revolutionary Roosevelt "Rosie"
Douglas won a surprise victory over former Prime
Minister Edison James in the January 2000
election after convincing voters that he would
weed out corruption and improve Dominica's
international image,
Pouglas and his Dominica
Labor Party (DLP) garnered 10 of 21
parliamentary seats and�despite his Marxist
leanings�managed to form his country's first
coalition government with the conservative
Dominica Freedom Party. On taking office,
Douglas told that he wants to
strengthen ties to the United States and seek
development aid from Canada and the EU. Over
the year have described the
new Prime Min(b)(3); dynamic, charismatic, and
wily.
A Changed Man?
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In recent years, Douglas has moderated his
rhetoric and polished his image as a radical allied
to Libya and various Marxist groups
His party has attracted
unemployed and disaffected young Dominicans,
as well as a loyal cadre of other supporters, many
of whom have benefited from scholarships he
solicited from Cuba and Libya. An untested
leader, Douglas has traveled extensively and most
likely will seek support from a network of
international contacts to help assist his financially
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The Prime Minister claims that his party is
committed to a path of private-sector-led
development. He has said that he intends to
reform the regulation of offshore banking and the
country's economic citizenship program, whereby
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Dominican passports were sold to anyone who
can afford them�factors that have made (b)(1)
Dominica a haven for or27ized crime�(b)(3)
A Radical Past
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Douglas became involved in student politics
while studying in Canada. He was arrested in
1969 for leading a violent demonstration of black
militants at Sir George Williams University,
which caused at least $2 million in damages to the
school's computer center and cafeteria. He
served several months in prison and subsequently
deported in 1976 as a security risk; at the same
time, he was also denied travel to the United
States. On his return to Dominica, Douglas
established ties to Cuba and started the Popular
Independence Committee to fight for
independence from Britain. He was briefly
appointed senator but was later fired after inviting
Cuban troops to help hurricane-devastated(b)(3)
Dominica in 1979.
Douglas taught political science at the
University of the West Indies' Extra Mural
Department in Dominica. He won a
parliamentary seat in 1985 while running on the
United Labor Party ticket. Douglas became an
official member of the DLP in 1986, assuming the
position of DLP secretary of international
relations; during that time,
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(continued)
LP 00-101806
14 March 2000
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Douglas lost his seat in parliament in 1990 largely
because he neglected his domestic constituency in
favor of international leftist political activity. In
1992 he became leader of the DLP following the
death of his brother. (b)(3)
Personal Data
Douglas was born on 15 October 1941 into one
of the wealthiest families in Dominica. In 1961
he moved to Canada where he received degrees in
agriculture and political science from Guelph
University in Ontario and Sir George Williams
University in Montreal. From there he went to
McGill University in Montreal to participate in a
master's/doctoral program. Douglas has worked
as a political and economic consultant with a
number of African countries and organizations,
including the African National Congress and the
South West Africa People's Organization. He has
also lectured at various universities. Douelas is
unmarried and has three children. (b)(3)
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