The press in The Bahamas has reported on a letter purportedly sent to, but apparently not published by the US press from a former US Ambassador to The Bahamas .  The following letter by the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Mr. D. Brent Hardt has appeared in the press as a response

Bahamas and U.S. have model relations

Your editorial of April 3 highlights an alleged recent correspondence written to, though not published by, an American newspaper by a former U.S. Ambassador, and suggests that the views of former Ambassadors are somehow indicative of official United States government positions.

On the contrary, any individual who leaves public life becomes a private citizen whose views are, simply, his own. 

The United States is very ably represented in The Bahamas by Ambassador John Rood, who, as the President’s personal representative to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, speaks for our government. The Ambassador made his views clear earlier this year when he observed that the United States enjoys “one of the closest and most successful law enforcement partnerships in the world” with The Bahamas. He described this relationship as “a model for the rest of the region” that has “set the standard for what is possible when two nations work together to defeat criminal organizations, money launderers and terrorists.”

We trust that this “sets the record straight.” For the most comprehensive and up to date United States assessments of our bilateral relations, we would encourage your editors and readers to view the Embassy’s website  www.nassau.usembassy.gov.


Sincerely yours,



D. Brent Hardt
Charge d’affairs, a.i. 
United States Embassy