Original sentence: Bernard Gewertzman disputed the US government's reasons in an article in the October 29 issue of the New York Times: "The wording of the formal request, however, was drafted in Washington and conveyed to the Caribbean leaders by special American emissaries.Ronald Reagan pointed to this airport and several other sites as evidence of the potential threat posed by Grenada towards the United States.The US also claimed that the airstrip was built to accommodate Soviet and Cuban transport craft to carry arms to aid Central American insurgents; Bishop's government claimed that it was built to accommodate commercial aircraft carrying tourists.The United States government described the invasion as a noncombatant evacuation operation for almost 600 American medical students on the island
Edited sentence: Bernard Gewertzman disputed those reasons in an article in the October 29 issue of the New York Times: "The wording of the formal request, however, was drafted in Washington and conveyed to the Caribbean leaders by special American emissaries.Publicly, the United States justified the invasion because of the presence of almost 600 American medical students on the island was used by President Ronald Reagan as a justification for the military action, though it is now acknowledged they were never in danger, as well as the construction of an 10,000 foot airstrip on the island which the US claimed was to accommodate Soviet and Cuban transport craft to carry arms to aid Central American insurgents but which Grenada claimed was being built to accommodate commercial aircraft carrying tourists.To begin to establish a case for invasion, seven months before the operation began, Ronald Reagan pointed to this airport and several other sites as evidence of the potential threat posed by Grenada towards the United States