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The Bush Invasion of Panama
First we must look at a bit of history of Noriega as an asset of the CIA and, as such an asset, was well known by President George Bush during his tenure as director of the CIA.
Manuel Noriega was recruited as a CIA asset out of shool in the late fifties and for most of his tenure with the American CIA things went quite well as he reported on the activities of Panamanian leftists. In 1960 Noriega became a cadet at an elite military academy in Peru and was training to be a spy for the US Defence Intelligence Agency.
At one point during his training he was alleged to have savagely raped and beaten a Peruvian prostitute. The poor woman nearly died but US Intelligence protected Noriega from arrest and prosecution.
At that time Noriega was in the esteemed grace of the US alone with the Shah of Iran, Anastasio Somoza of Nicaragua, Marcos of the Philippines and Duvalier of Haiti to name a few important leaders for America's causes against the people of our world.
Noriega eventually became a contracted agent of the CIA in 1967. He was alleged to have been paid $100,000 per year. Part of the work of this Latin American spy ring was to keep an eye upon the people who wanted to organize a union for decent working conditions at United Fruit Company's plantations. This was clear evidence of Communism in the eyes of Americans and the US was out to protect American interests.
Interestingly enough is that United Fruit demanded horrid working conditions and a savagely low pay for its employees. At at least one of United Fruits operations the workers were paid only in company script redeemable only at inflated prices at the company store. The workers had no opportunity to purchase goods from local farmers or merchants thus causing themselves to buy and eat less and to provide no value to the local economy. United Fruits seems very much a communist regime in its own part.
In 1967 Noriega received training in psychological operations at Fort Bragg, North Carolina as well as further training in military intelligence at the Schools of the Americas in Panama. In 1970 Noriega became Chief of Intelligence in Panama while his contacts grew with Cubans, Israelis, Tiawanese to name a few.
In 1976 it was determined that Noriega was as spying on Americans working for US Intelligence. Shortly Noriega's CIA contract had been revoked. But the real problen was that he was known to have sold arms to the Nicaraguan Sandinistas who were revolting against the Somoza dictatorial regime. Nevertheless, in 1979 there was a plan made to arrest Noriega on a planned visit to the US the US military foiled the plan by informing Noriega. The US once again became friendly with Noriega and dropped all charges when Panama granted asylum to the Shah of Iran. This same year Noriega visited George Bush, the then Director of the CIA but Bush's replacement took Noriega off the payroll only to have Vice President George Bush put him back on the payroll. Obviously not a great meeting of minds here.
In 1983 Noriaga took power in Panama and the Reagan administration put Noriega back on the US payroll with a salary of about $200,000 per year which was paid by the US Intelligence Agency and the CIA. During the Reagan years it is alleged hat Noriega created further business and intelligence contacts with the Cubans, the Sandinistas and the Columbian Drug Lords. He also, supported Reagan's illegal Contras against the Sandinistas. It is unclear why he would be supporting both sides in Nicaragua. However, Noriega continued to support the Contras by contributing $100,000 to the Contra leader according to documents not shredded by Colonel North in 1986.
It seems that the CIA could care less that Noriega smuggled drugs on Contra supply planes or that he had beheaded and opponent that accused him of this. Noriega must have been proving himself very beneficial to the CIA. The US could care less if he used violence and fraud to steal the 1984 elections. If it was good for the US spy agencies it was good for the American government. What's new you might ask.
However, Noriega's on again and off again support for the Sandanistas in Nicaragua seemed enough to spell his doom. In 1989 the US invaded Panama and laid siege upon Panama City to 'arrest' Noriega allegedly for his drug smuggling which had been completely ignored, at the risk of American citizens, for years. The US troops invaded with about 26,000 troops murdering between 2,000 and 4,000 innocent Panamanians. (Please Note- Casualty Numbers Vary)
Leading up to the illegal invasion of Panama there were indications of American increases in illegal activities in Panama. The writing was on the wall as we like to say. As Noriega led Panama into an increasing realm of Sovereignty away from so much American intrigue and abuse it became quite evident that the line would shortly be crossed between Noriega and the Americans under George Bush.
There were indications that covert actions would not be out of line when dealing with Panama. Covert action in a sovereign nation, we must remember is an illegal act by international law that the US continually gets away with ignoring. Yet the Bush government had no fear of engaging in these illegalities. Please understand that there was no imminent reason to invade Panama to arrest Noriega. He'd been acting in the same manner for many years. Negotiations and legal attempts had not been offered probably because of implications of the illegal activities of the US being further exposed.
President George Bush had signed a secret intelligence directive to provide $10 million plus to upset Noriega in the Panamanian elections. Much like they did under Nixon in the elections in Chile to oust the democratically elected Arbenz and provide for the takeover by the cruel dictator General Pinochet.
A plan was also made in which dissident Panamanian officers would apprehend and arrest Noriega and hand him over to the USA. However, this plan was negated by the Senate Intelligence Committee. Then the US began to build up US troops based in Panama up from the 10,000 or so already there. After a failed coup attempt on October 3, 1989 Bush made it known to the American public that the 'rumours' about an American operation in Panama were not true. I can see where GW got his lessons on lying! George Bush continued to say that he would not rule out force if done in a 'prudent' manner. He would not rule out force for all time.
The Justice Department secretly gave the FBI legal authority to apprehend fugitives from the US in foreign (sovereign) countries which was to open up the ability to arrest Noriega and bring him to the US. It would seem that this American law would be illegal internationally.
We knew that the crunch was coming. In the summer of 1989 50 thousand military dependants living in Panama were sent back to the states. The US moved tanks and helecopter gun ships weekly into the US bases in Panama in violation of international law regarding treaties. Movement of troops, equipment and supplies, nevertheless, occurred every hour from large transport planes on December 18th and 19th. We must note also that the Secretary of Defence Richard 'Dick' Cheney was part of these illegalities.
It is also interesting to note that Bush was following closely President Theodore Roosevelt activities of1903 - 1904 (thereabouts) when he violated Colombia's sovereignty when he stole from Colombia the Panamanian isthmus. His reason being that Colombia, in its own interests, was delaying allowances to the US for rights of the province of Panama of Colombia. Roosevelt made claims of “moral duty to overcome Colombia's selfish interests”. He claimed “treaty rights and obligations”, “national interests and safety”, collective civilization”, “interests of its inhabitants”. I guess Colombia's getting hers back in the cocaine trade. Karma?- Sharon.
In the summer and fall of 1989, leading up to the invasion, the US virtually ignored the Torrijos-Carter Treaty in violation of international law:
Civilian neighbourhoods were buzzed by US military helicopters and low flying planes.
They drove armoured convoys through the streets of Panama's cities.
Conducted exercises in civilian neighbourhoods firing live ammunition
They drove and parked tanks in down town streets.
On December 20th, 1989 Invasion got the Bush/Cheney go ahead. At about 1 am without warning the US dropped 12,000 troops with helicopter gunships, fighters and bombers along with tanks and armoured convoys into Panama and attacking Panama City and the city of Colon. They also attacked Panamanian Defence Forces headquarters. The American forces violently ripped through the poor districts of Panama City on the way to the government buildings where Noriega was expected to be. All this for one man! Questionable to say the least.
The poor district was levelled as well as parts of surrounding better off neighbourhoods. The Stealth bomber dropped 2,000 pound bombs on the Hato Military School. An additional 2,000 American troops were then send in increasing the American presence to 14,000 troops in addition to the 13,000 US military personnel stationed in Panama.
The American invasion to attempt to arrest Noriega was incredibly horrid and basically unreported. The international press community was kept out and the US pro-conservative media focussed upon the search for Noriega ignoring the killings of thousands of innocent Panamanians by US forces. Apparently the murder of thousands by the George Bush administration wasn't considered valuable news for the American people who enjoyed the search for Noriega stories.
The Americans bombed apartment buildings into collapse with still sleeping children, mothers, fathers crushed in the debris. No search was made to seek for survivours so we can only imagine children, broken but alive, crying into their deaths! The poor areas bombed were 100% non-white neighbourhoods. No white neighbourhoods were bombed.
The total casualties from this American illegal invasion with a count of both dead and injured were 349 Americans and possibly 5 to 10,000 Panamanians. Another 12,000 plus Panamanians were arrested and detained. Not all of the detained persons have yet been accounted for.
During the invasion witnesses have reported tanks driving over the dead and wounded in the streets of Panama City. Their were even reports of families, trying to get away, being crushed in their cars as tanks drove right over them.
How do Americans deal with this insanity of the Bush family and other Republicans in charge of the American activities? Well, obviously many are ashamed and abhor what has happened. But their shame is worth little as the gruesome crimes go unanswered. Many Americans, of course, think that this invasion is a great show of American military might. And, many other Americans just don't care! America prides itself as being a free country of just laws but when it comes to murderers in power in the White House they pay little attention. Americans biggest worry is the price of gas and their shared paranoia of being attacked. America is a sadly maladjusted country and a continuous world criminal entity.
Let's take a quick look at international law. The USA has agreed to abide by the United Nations' Charter under the force of law and the US Constitution. This seems to be a forgotten agreement.
In part the UN Charter says; “All members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations."
The Organization of American States (OAS) has a similar provision. The OAS was formed in 1948 to implement the 1947 Rio Treaty signed at Rio de Janeiro by most American states, including the U.S., and Panama, agreeing to protect against aggression every state in the Western Hemisphere. Under the U.S. Constitution, treaties are part of the supreme law (the Constitution itself).
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On December 22, 1989 the OAS voted a harsh condemnation of the U.S. invasion by a vote of 20 to 1. The one country voting against the condemnation was, of course, the United States.
On December 29, the U.N. General Assembly voted a harsh condemnation of the U.S. invasion by a vote of 75 to 20. The U.S. and some of her allies comprised all 20 of the votes against condemnation.
Aknowledgements:
S. Brian Willson --The Case of Panama:U.S. Continues its Bully Ways as International Outlaw Analysis of the Dec. 20, 1989 U.S. Invasion in Historical Context
http://www.brianwillson.com/awolpanama.html
Mark Zepezauer – Panama from the bookThe CIAs Greatest Hits
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/CIA%20Hits/Panama_CIAHits.html
