Cheddi Jagan (1918–1997) was the first major politician in the Anglophone Caribbean enraptured by Marxism-Leninism as espoused by the Soviet Union − the beacon for the radical transformation of colonies like his country, British Guiana (Guyana). Moreover, he sought to persuade US President Kennedy, that although this was the essence of his post-colonial vision, it would not vitiate the fundamentals of liberal democracy.