1965: Governor of Seychelles Says US Has Made Depopulation of Chagos Islands ‘Virtually a Condition’

Sir Bruce Greatbatch, governor of Seychelles, says in a Foreign Office memorandum how the US has made the depopulation of the Chagos Islands “virtually a condition of the agreement.” Describing the islands’ inhabitants, he says, “[T]hese people have little aptitude for anything other than growing coconuts.” They are “unsophisticated and untrainable,” he remarks. [Guardian, 10/2/2004; ZNet, 10/22/2004]