Don Andrews - Dominica Invasion Attempt

Dominica Invasion Attempt

In what became known as Operation Red Dog, Ku Klux Klan leaders Wolfgang Droege and Don Black, as well as former Prime Minister Patrick John, conspired to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Eugenia Charles on the island of Dominica.

The invasion was meant to restore John to power and to transform the island into a white supremacist nation. John was forced to resign in 1979 after a popular uprising against his Administration.

The plan was to charter a boat to Dominica and rendezvous via rubber boats with John and his makeshift army, made up of remnants of the Dominica Defense Force. The genesis of the idea came from long-time Klan member Mike Purdue, who was introduced in 1979 to Droege through David Duke.

Duke initially involved Don Andrews but after Purdue changed the target island to Dominica, Andrews bailed out. Andrews however put Purdue in contact with Klansmen Arnie Polli and Roger Dermee who were paid US$3,000 to visit Dominica to obtain preliminary reconnaissance.

Andrews also put Purdue in contact with Charles Yanover, who was a well-known organized crime figure. Yanover who was ecstatic with the idea, provided Purdue with a $10,000 advance. In return for the investment, Yanover was given the right to set up a gunrunning operation to smuggle weapons into South Africa and Central America.