Dinges, John. Our Man in Panama: How General Noriega Used the United States and Made Millions in Drugs and Arms. New York: Random House, 1990. 403 pages.
Noriega's life is threaded through this account of corrupt Panamanian politics and U.S.-Panama relations since the 1960s, with emphasis on the period of Noriega's strongman leadership that concluded with George Bush's invasion of December, 1989.Noriega's career of drug trafficking and money laundering alternated with periods of close cooperation with the DEA to arrest competitors. He was preceded by Gen. Omar Torrijos, a populist whose rule was ended in a suspicious 1981 plane crash that some believe was CIA-arranged. Noriega enjoyed a long stint on the CIA payroll in return for many services, such as helping the covert wars against Salvadoran rebels and his offer of assistance to Oliver North. In 1984 the U.S. suppressed evidence of Noriega's electoral fraud.
John Dinges is an editor at National Public Radio. His book went to press three months after the invasion, so it isn't much help in figuring out what led to this important event, and whether it was really intended to help the Panamanians. Hopefully others will pick up where he left off.
Noriega, Manuel and Eisner, Peter. America's Prisoner: The Memoirs of Manuel Noriega. New York: Random House, 1997. 293 pages.
George Bush's invasion of Panama in December, 1989 happened so fast that the media couldn't get the story, and was reduced to parroting the administration's line about Manuel Noriega's drug dealing and "Operation Just Cause." This book is the story you didn't get -- from Noriega himself, who is now the only prisoner of war in the U.S., as designated by the Geneva Conventions. Noriega's version of events is then investigated and largely confirmed by Peter Eisner, formerly a Latin America correspondent for Newsday, who was in Panama during the invasion.First off, hard evidence of Noriega's drug connections was lacking, contrary to what Americans were told. General Fred Woerner, chief of the Southern Command, and Admiral William Crowe, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, both opposed the invasion and were both dismissed. In order to convict Noriega in court, 26 felons testified at his trial in exchange for leniency. (This trial caught prosecutors by surprise because Noriega wasn't expected to survive the invasion; he now had to be convicted at any cost.) Finally, Eisner sums up three reasons for the invasion: 1) the wimp factor -- Bush had to counteract a growing perception of presidential weakness; 2) Panama's failure to help the U.S. with Iran-Contra; and 3) vague worries from the right that the loss of U.S. control over the canal would be a setback.
Here are the names most frequently mentioned in the above books:
ABADIA JORGE ABRAMS ELLIOTT L AGUILAR ANTONIO AIZPRUA TONY ALCEDO JULIO ALEMANY SOTO MIGUEL ALEXANDER THEODORE ALLEN JAMES B (D-AL) ALLEN LEW JR (GEN) ALVAREZ MARTINEZ GUSTAVO ADOLFO ANGEL LUIS GUILLERMO ANGUEIRA EFRAIN ARBOLEDA BIVIANO ARIAS ARNULFO ARIAS CALDERON RICARDO ARIAS SANCHEZ OSCAR ARMIJO ROBERTO ARMITAGE RICHARD L ARNOLD PORTER (LAW FIRM) AROSEMENA CARLOS (NORIEGA AIDE) ATWOOD J BRIAN AUDEMAR ALBERTO AWAN AMJAD AYALA PEDRO BAGLEY BRUCE M BAILEY NORMAN A BANK CREDIT COMMERCE INTERNATIONAL BARLETTA NICOLAS ARDITO BARRIA AURELIO (YEYO) BARRIOS AUGUSTIN BATEMAN JAIME BAYH BIRCH E (D-IN) BAZAN JOSE BECHTEL CORPORATION BELLIDO ARMANDO BENES BERNARDO BETHANCOURT ROMULO ESCOBAR BILONICK RICARDO BISHOP MAURICE (PM) BLANDON JOSE I BLUM JACK A BOYD AQUILINO BOYD FEDERICO BRAMBLE JAMES BRAMSON BRIAN HUGH BRIGGS EVERETT ELLIS (TED) BROWN SILVERIO BRUSTMAYER-RODRIGUEZ HOR BUFFONE SAMUEL BUNKER ELLSWORTH BURGHARDT RAYMOND F JR BURNETT STANLEY R BUSH GEORGE H.W. CABALLERO ALFREDO CABALLERO DANILO CABALLERO PORFIRIO CABRERA MEDINA OTALVARO CAMARGO FELIPE CANALIAS JORGE CANNISTRARO VINCENT M CARLTON CACERES FLOYD CARTER JIMMY E (PRES) CASEY WILLIAM JOSEPH CASON JAMES C CASTILLO ELIAS CASTILLO IVAN CASTREJON ARNULFO CASTRELLON LICHITO CASTRELLON RODOLFO CASTRO FIDEL CASTRO RAUL (BROTHER OF FIDEL) CEDENO RAFAEL CHANG VEGA ISAAC CHARDY ALFONSO CHAVEZ HILL FRANCISCO (COLOMBIA) CHEN LUIS CARLOS CHU YI CISNEROS MARC A (GEN) CLARRIDGE DUANE R (DEWEY) COCKBURN LESLIE COLLIN STEVE CONSTANTINO JORGE CONTRERAS ARMANDO ABEL CORCHO CARLOS CORDOBA LUIS (PAPO) CORDOBEZ PIGUA CORNELL ALLEN CHARLES (COL) CORREA MOISES CORTIZO MOISES CRAIG GREGORY B CRUZ ROGELIO CURA CESAR DAUBUISSON ROBERTO DAVIDOW BRIAN ALDEN DAVIS ARTHUR H JR DAYAN MOSHE DE LA ESPRIELLA RICARDO DE MOSS DEBORAH LYNNE DEL CID EDILBERTO (MACHO) DEL CID LUIS DEL CID MARIO DELGADO DANIEL DELGADO HERNAN DELVALLE ARTURO DELVALLE ERIC ARTURO DESMOND TIMOTHY J DIACSA COMPANY DIAZ HERRERA ROBERTO DITTEA ANABEL DODD CHRISTOPHER J (D-CT) DONFELD JEFFREY DRUMMOND WILLIAM (CANAL ZONE POLICE) DUNCAN ALFREDO (FRED) DUNCAN FRED DUNN ROBERT F (VADM) DUQUE CARLOS (PANAMA) DURKIN WILLIAM EISENMANN ROBERTO EL PASO INTELLIGENCE CENTER ENDARA GUILLERMO ESCOBAR BETHANCOURT ROMULO ESCOBAR GAVIRIA PABLO EMILIO ESKENAZI J V ESPARZA ARTURO ESPINO DARISNEL ESQUIVEL RODERICK FALCON WILLIE FARIAS MATIAS FERNANDEZ JACK (NORIEGA LAWYER) FERNANDEZ JOSEPH F FIRST INTERAMERICAS BANK FLOREZ FLORENCIO FONTAINE ROGER W FORD GUILLERMO (BILLY) GAITAN ELIECER GALLEGOS HECTOR GALVIN JOHN R (GEN) GANDASEGUI MARCO GARCIA PIYUYO MAJOR GAVIRIA GUSTAVO GIROLDI MOISES GONZALEZ ARIOSTO GONZALEZ EDUARDO (PANAMANIAN POLITICIAN) GONZALEZ FRANCISCO ELIEZER GONZALEZ GONZALO GONZALEZ GUILLERMO (RAFAEL RICHARD ASSOCIATE) GONZALEZ NICOLAS GONZALEZ SEBASTIAN (GUACHAN) GORMAN PAUL F (GEN) GREGORIE RICHARD GRILLI STEVEN GUERRA ALEXIS GUERRA MANUEL ENRIQUE (PILLIQUE) HARARI MICHAEL HEATH EDWARD (DEA) HECHT BILL HELMS JESSE A (R-NC) HERNANDEZ CLETO HERRERA HASSAN EDUARDO HERRERA SIMON BOLIVAR HERSH SEYMOUR M HEWITT ASHLEY C HIM GONZALEZ JOAQUIN HOEVELER WILLIAM M HOFFMAN MANFRED HONEY MARTHA HULL JOHN FLOYD HUNT E HOWARD IKEDA DAISAKU ILLUECA JORGE INAIR COMPANY INGERSOLL JOHN EDWARD INTER-AMERICAN DEFENSE BOARD INTERBANCO INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS JARAMILLO ENRIQUE (CHINO) JIMENEZ HUMBERTO JORDAN HAMILTON JORDEN WILLIAM JOHN JUSTINE MARCOS KALISH STEVEN MICHAEL KELLNER LEON KEMPE FREDERICK S KENNEDY EDWARD M (D-MA) KENNEDY KEN KERRY JOHN FORBES (D-MA) KIMBLER DONALD KIYONAGA JOSEPH YOSHIO KOSTER R M KOZAK MICHAEL G KROGH EGIL (BUD) KRUPNICK JORGE KUNSTLER WILLIAM M LABOA JOSE SEBASTIAN LAKAS DEMETRIO LAKE RESOURCES LARA BONILLA RODRIGO LATINEZ JORGE LAWN JOHN C LEHDER RIVAS CARLOS ENRIQUE LEHTINEN DEXTER W LERNER JAY LEWIS GALINDO GABRIEL LICONA JAVIER LINOWITZ SOL M LOPEZ GRIMALDI EDGARDO LOPEZ MICHELSEN ALFONSO LOPEZ REYES WALTER LUTZ AUGUSTO MACHIN CRISTINA MACIAS LEONIDAS MADRINAN NIVALDO MAGLUTA SALVADOR MAHLSTEDT PAUL MAISTO JOHN F MAJANO ADOLFO MALLOL GILBERTO MALMAN MYLES H MANFREDO FERNANDO MARTINEZ BORIS MARTINEZ GEORGE MATERNO VASQUEZ JUAN MCAULIFFE DENNIS PHIL (GEN) MCCLEARY JOEL WEST MCGRATH MARCOS MCNEIL FRANCIS J MELO BORBUA JULIAN MENDEZ GABRIEL MENGES CONSTANTINE C MERKLE ROBERT MEZA JOAQUIN MILIAN RODRIGUEZ RAMON MIRANDA JULIO CESAR MIRANDA OLMEDO DAVID MONZON RUBEN MORA LAZARO MORITZ DAN MORLEDA CARLOS MOSS AMBLER H JR MOTLEY LANGHORNE A MURPHY DANIEL J (ADM) MURPHY JOHN M (D-NY) MUSE KURT FREDERICK NAGANO SHIGEO (BUSINESSMAN) NENTZEN FRANCO LUIS NIEVES ROBERT J NORIEGA HURTADO LUIS CARLOS NORIEGA MANUEL ANTONIO NORTH OLIVER L NRAF INC OCHOA VASQUEZ FABIO OCHOA VASQUEZ JORGE LUIS OCHOA VASQUEZ MARTA NIEVES OLARTE BORIS ORTEGA DANIEL OW YOUNG JULIO OWEN ROBERT W PAHLAVI FARAH DIBA PAHLAVI MOHAMMED REZA PANAMA CIA IN PARDO EDUARDO PAREDES RUBEN DARIO PARKER DAVID (GEN) PASTOR ROBERT A PASTORA EDEN PEREZ CARLOS ANDRES PERINAN BALBINA PINEIRO LOSADA MANUEL PINOCHET AUGUSTO PLACE WILLIAM POINDEXTER JOHN M POWELL COLIN LUTHER PRETELT ENRIQUE (KIKI) PRICE WILLIAM (U.S.EMBASSY) PULICE YOLANDA PURCELL ALBERTO QADDAFI MUAMMAR QUIEL LUIS QUINONES JOAQUIN REMON CANTERA JOSE ANTONIO RICHARD RAFAEL JR RIVERA BROOKLYN ROBLES MARCO RODRIGUEZ CESAR RODRIGUEZ GACHA JOSE GONZALO RODRIGUEZ OREJUELA GILBERTO JOSE RODRIGUEZ ULISES ROGERS WILLIAM DILL ROGNONI MARIO ROSENTHAL JOEL H ROYO ARISTIDES RUBINO FRANK A SANCHEZ BORBON GUILLERMO SANCHEZ NESTOR D SANCHEZ YOLANDA SANJUR AMADO SANTACRUZ ECHEVERRI LUIS (LUCHO) SANTACRUZ LONDONO JOSE SAYRE ROBERT MARION SCHOOL AMERICAS SCHWEITZER ROBERT L (GEN) SEDILLO ARTHUR SHULTZ GEORGE PRATT SIEIRO AQUILINO SILVERA RAMIRO SOLIS PALMA MANUEL SONNETT NEAL SPADAFORA HUGO SPADAFORA WINSTON STONE CHARLES (CHICO) STRICKLER GERRY STRIEDINGER ROBERTO SUCRE HERACLIDES SULLIVAN MICHAEL (PAT) SVAT GERALD J TABOADA GABRIEL TACK JUAN TAKIFF RAYMOND TARTAGLINO ANDREW TASON MARCELA TELLES THOMAS M THURMAN MAXWELL R (GEN) TORRIJOS MOISES TORRIJOS OMAR TRIBALDOS RICARDO TROTT STEPHEN S TURNER CARLTON E UDALL RESEARCH COMPANY URENA ARISTIDES VALENZUELA WALTER VALLARINO BOLIVAR VALLARINO EDUARDO VASQUEZ MATERNO VILLA JOSE VILLANUEVA JAVIER WALKER WILLIAM GRAHAM WALTERS VERNON ANTHONY WATSON TEOFILO WEEDEN ALVIN WEINBERGER CASPAR W WHITGREEN CARLOS WINTERS DONALD H ZAMBRANO JOSE EDUARDO
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