Wrapping up his Caribbean tour, the Cuban President, Dr Fidel Castro, yesterday paid homage to the late Grenadan prime minister, Mr Maurice Bishop, assassinated a few days before an invasion by the United States in 1983.
A small crowd cheered wildly as Dr Castro, who will be 72 this month, enveloped Mr Bishop's mother Alimenta in a warm bear hug on the porch of her modest hillside home.
The killing of Mr Bishop and members of his cabinet by dissidents in his New Jewel Movement fuelled tension which Washington feared could endanger US medical students on the island. US forces invaded Grenada within days of the killings.
Mr Bishop remains extremely popular, and Dr Castro got an emotional welcome from Grenad ans. "Viva Castro" the crowd shouted as he walked into Ms Alimenta Bishop's home.
The house is just down a hill from the Fort Matthew mental institution, which the US bombed during the 1983 invasion and killed about a dozen inmates.
Earlier, the Cuban president met formally with the Grenadan Prime Minister Mr Keith Mitchell at his home on the rugged hills outside downtown St George's.
Neither man said anything publicly, and Dr Castro made no remarks as he arrived at the Bishop house.
Dr Castro spent three days in Jamaica, then travelled on to Barbados and was wrapping up his trip yesterday in Grenada. He was due to attend a rally at 5.00 p.m. (2100 GMT), followed by a reception and was scheduled to leave at 11.00 p.m. (0300 GMT today).
Upon arrival Dr Castro unveiled a plaque thanking Cuba for its help in building the airport. Grenada's economy, like that of most Caribbean nations, is heavily dependent on foreign tourists.