Rodney Commission hears Gregory Smith’s file missing from GDF

The Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry (CoI) opened its fourth session on Tuesday with news that the personal file of the alleged assassin William Gregory Smith could not be found.

Lieutenant Colonel Patrick West representing the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) told the tribunal investigating the death of the late academic and historian that Smith’s file could have been destroyed during the massive flood of 2005. The announcement by the GDF comes on the heels of the Guyana Police Force also declaring that a number of critical files from their investigation have gone missing. Both the GDF and the Police Force were highly politicised and controlled by the Forbes Burnham-led PNC Administration during the period before and after Rodney’s killing.

PNCR leaders

Several of the top officers then, including former GDF Commander, Brigadier David Granger and Lieutenant Colonel Joe Harmon are now leaders of the PNCR. The GDF has been tasked with locating files which could determine whether the now dead Smith had been in its employ during the time Dr Rodney was killed. Lieutenant Colonel West told the Commission that while he did not find a Gregory Smith, records indicate that there was a William Smith in the Army during that period.

The Army Sergeant and electronics expert William Gregory Smith, who became an active member of the Force on June 27, 1975, had been accused of handing Dr Walter Rodney a bomb planted in a device, which exploded and caused his death on June 13, 1980.

When news of the explosion spread, fingers pointed at the accused which led investigators to the army. But head of the military body at that time, Major General Norman McLean, had stated that there was no such officer in the Army with that name. However, during his testimony close to two months ago, Mc Lean said that he was later informed by staff that instead of a “Gregory Smith”, there was rather a “William Gregory Smith” with regimental number 4141. According to Mc Lean, the investigation revealed that he was a deserter.

But Colonel West during his testimony said that the investigation, carried out by staff at the Army’s Personnel Department showed that there was no record of the Sergeant being Struck off Strength (SOS), Absent without leave (AWOL), deserting the Army or ever being dismissed.

In fact, records that he presented to the tribunal included a payroll, an alphabetic numbering ledger and the male numbering ledger all with regimental number 4141 with name William Smith. The records however show that Smith received a salary until June of 1979. However, according to West, that does not mean that Smith had left the Army, it only indicates that the payroll records for the time of Smith’s death could not be found.

Former Police Corporal Robert Gates had told the Commission that when he saw Smith a few months before Dr Rodney’s assassination, he had an afro and was heavily bearded.

Further grilled on the issue, West directed Attorney Hanoman to the Army Intelligence Unit, which he said could furnish him with such information. Smith was accused of handing Dr Rodney a walkie-talkie device with a bomb hidden inside. Claims are that Smith was used by the PNC Government to carry out the assassination.