This article examines the visit of Grenadian Prime Minister Maurice Bishop to Washington DC in June 1983. Scholars have speculated that the visit was motivated by a desire to normalise Grenada's troubled relations with the United States or, alternatively, that it was a public relations and lobbying exercise. This article concludes that Grenadian government officials variously viewed the visit as a public relations exercise, an opportunity for dialogue and an opportunity to gain economic support. For the United States the prospect of Bishop's visit prompted a reassessment of its Grenada policy and, after Bishop met senior US officials, resulted in a hardening of existing policy.