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[chop-chop of helicopter blades]

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(male narrator)
December 20, 1989.

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25,000 U.S. troops
descend on Panama City.

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[loud explosion]

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It's the biggest American
invasion since the Vietnam War.

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Their mission--
to capture one man...

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Panama's military dictator,
Manuel Noriega.

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(John Dinges)
The United States became enraged

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at this two-bit dictator
who was defying it.

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(narrator)
U.S. soldiers scour Panama City,

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hunting for Noriega...

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but he's nowhere to be found.

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He basically goes into hiding.

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(narrator)
Noriega's turbulent
6-year rule

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has been marked by violence,
deception, and excess.

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(Orlando J. Pérez)
He was willing to do

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just about anything
to get ahead.

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(Natasha Ezrow)
He was not only corrupted
by power,

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but he was also
corrupted by greed.

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(Roberto Eisenmann)
He was a gangster.

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Basically a gangster
in a military uniform.

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(narrator)
How did a kid
who grew up in poverty

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grow rich as dictator of Panama?

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And what did he do
to provoke an invasion

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by the world's
most powerful nation?

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[loud applause & cheering]

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(woman)
Dictatorships have had
an incredible impact

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in the past century.

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These dictators ended up
learning from one another.

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(man)
They're all different but
many use the same tactics.

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(woman) The use of terror.
(man) Propaganda.

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(woman) Control the elites.
Create an enemy.

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Cult of personality.
(man) Use violence--

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These are tools that dictators
use to stay in power.

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(narrator)
Manuel Noriega's rise to
dictator is a near miracle

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given the dire circumstances
of his childhood.

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He's born in Panama City
in 1934.

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Orphaned by the age of 5,

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Noriega is raised
by his godmother,

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in the rough market area
of Terraplen.

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Young men born into the
social strata

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where he was born, their life
chances

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of rising to prominence and
power

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was very limited.

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(narrator)
As Noriega grows up
on the mean streets,

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he's picked on
for his small size

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and his acne-scarred complexion.

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But he finds a way to improve
his lot in life.

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(John Dinges) Noriega saw
himself

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as getting ahead through
education,

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he was incredibly intelligent,

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good student, somebody who

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always excelled at his classes.

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(narrator)
Noriega applies himself

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and wins a position in
Panama City's best high school.

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[chanting]

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(narrator)
Like many other Panamanian
students in the early 1950s,

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he is swept up in a wave of
anti-American sentiment

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that stems from the U.S.
ownership of the Panama Canal.

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It's a conflict that will play
a key role in his life

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and set the stage
for his eventual dictatorship.

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(Orlando J. Pérez)
That was the great struggle

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of Panamanian
20th-century history--

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to recover national sovereignty,
to recover the Panama Canal.

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[loud explosion]

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(narrator)
Back in 1903,

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America secured the right
to build the Canal

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a reward for helping Panama

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gain its independence
from Colombia.

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The Panamanian elites

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who supported the process
of independence,

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made a bargain--
gave the United States

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the authority to build
the canal,

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gave the U.S. control
in perpetuity.

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Because to those elites,

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independence and building
the Panama Canal,

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was at the time

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more important than
preserving national sovereignty.

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(narrator)
The Canal opens in 1914,

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and transforms international
trade by linking

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the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

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It generates more
than $20 million a year

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for the United States, and
enriches Panamanian elites.

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And so those elites,

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for many Panamanians of
middle class and lower class,

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became traitors
to their country.

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They sold out their country
for the benefits of the canal.

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(Roberto Eisenmann) It became
a source of irritation

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because the United States
created what in essence was

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a U.S. colony in the midst
of our country.

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(narrator)
It's called the Canal Zone,

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a strip of land on both sides
of the canal occupied

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by some 57,000 Americans...

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mostly military.

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(Orlando J. Pérez)
That fueled a tremendous level
of resentment

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toward the United States.

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(narrator)
The tide of U.S. resentment

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fans Noriega's
growing nationalism.

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Graduating high school, he
boldly declares his ambitions.

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If you look at his yearbook,
he says,

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my ambitions are to become
a psychiatrist

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and the president of Panama.

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(narrator)
But Noriega's aspirations are
nearly impossible,

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because of the inherent
discrimination

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in Panama's class system.

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His heritage is Creole,

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a mix of African
and European ancestry.

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The country's elite,
just 10% of all Panamanians,

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are Caucasian.

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They've held the positions of
power since Panama was founded.

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(Orlando J. Pérez)
It was a political system
that was elite dominated.

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It was what one would call an
oligarchic limited democracy.

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And so elections were held
on a regular basis,

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but those elections were
essentially manipulated

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by this elite to keep control
of the political system.

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(narrator)
When Noriega tries
to become a doctor,

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the harsh reality hits home.

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(John Dinges)
He didn't get
into medical school

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because the medical school had
a limited number of seats,

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and they were almost all given

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to the white upper class kids
from the other part of town.

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(narrator)
But Noriega is still driven
to get ahead.

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And when he runs into a friend
who's in military school

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he decides to follow
another route,

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one taken by
many would be dictators.

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(Mariam Mufti) It is quite
common for dictators

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to rise up the ranks through
the military

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and eventually, through means
of a coup,

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establish themselves as
dictators.

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Throughout the 20th century
we've seen a number,

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a huge number of dictators
who actually were, in fact,

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active or retired
military officers.

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(narrator)
In 1958, the 24-year-old Noriega
is a long way

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from becoming an officer
in Panama's army.

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But he catches a break
when he lands a scholarship

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to a prestigious
military school.

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He was very well-adapted
to military life

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because of the kind of
intelligence he had.

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He's somebody who sizes up
a situation,

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see's where the best
alternative is

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and very decisively goes for it.

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(narrator)
After graduating in 1962,

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Noriega joins the National
Guard, Panama's military force.

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Months later, he's stationed in
Colon as a second lieutenant.

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It's there that he meets the man

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who will take him
to the brink of power,

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his commanding officer,
Major Omar Torrijos.

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Torrijos was an attractive,
charismatic figure,

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and he was idolized by members
of the military,

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and Noriega idolized him.

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(narrator)
Torrijos is a populist.

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His dream is to recover the
Canal for all Panamanians.

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But to make it a reality,
he needs political power.

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Torrijos was very ambitious,

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his goal was to become
the head of the country.

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(narrator)
Torrijos sees promise
in the young Noriega,

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and presents him
with an opportunity.

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He assigns Noriega
to the National Guard's

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intelligence branch,
later known as the G2.

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Noriega gets intelligence
training

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at the School of the Americas,

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a U.S. run military program
in the Canal Zone.

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Its official goal is to instill
Democratic values

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and to train its students to
fight the spread of communism,

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but it also instructs them
in the use of blackmail,

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coercion,
torture, and execution.

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Critics call it
a school for dictators.

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(John Dinges)
Noriega discovered his vocation

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as an intelligence officer.

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And he was described
by his course commander

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as outstanding.

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So Torrijos basically bet
on this young officer,

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and Noriega became a very, very
effective officer for Torrijos.

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(Orlando J. Pérez)
Every great leader needs
a henchman,

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somebody to do the dirty work.

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And Noriega was perfectly
willing to be that henchman.

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Noriega was behind the scenes
eavesdropping on opponents,

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repressing opponents,
cracking heads.

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Over time Noriega becomes

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basically the right-hand man
for Torrijos.

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(narrator)
By 1968, Noriega has
helped to make Torrijos

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one of Panama's most powerful
military leaders.

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But Panama's National Guard

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still answers
to its political leaders.

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[applause]

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Like the newly-elected
president, Arnulfo Arias.

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Arias is worried the military's
growing political strength

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could pose a threat
to his regime.

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(Orlando J. Pérez)
Immediately after becoming
president

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he essentially began a purge
of the National Guard.

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(narrator)
Arias informs Torrijos he is
sending him to El Salvador

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as a military attaché.

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Without Torrijos, everything
Noriega has worked for

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could be lost.

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But on October 11, 1968,

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Torrijos turns the tables
on Arias

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by leading a military coup.

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Noriega plays a key role,

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by shutting down radio
and telephone stations

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in the Chiriqui province,
Arias' power base.

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Arias has no way to get help,

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and Torrijos quickly takes
control.

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00:13:10,724 --> 00:13:12,157
[loud cheering]

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00:13:15,228 --> 00:13:17,695
(narrator)
Omar Torrijos is now Panama's
military dictator.

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He quickly moves to gain consent
among Panamanians,

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including many supporters
of Arnulfo Arias.

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And he comes into power with
a program of land distribution,

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social programs, emphasizing
education,

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and basically doing things
that will appeal

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to the underprivileged and
forgotten people of Panama,

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this majority of the country who
had been ignored pretty much

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00:13:51,498 --> 00:13:56,067
by the businessmen who had been
running the country before.

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00:13:56,136 --> 00:13:59,871
(narrator)
Noriega reaps the benefits
when Torrijos promotes him

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00:13:59,940 --> 00:14:03,241
to Chief of Military
Intelligence, the head of G2.

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00:14:06,413 --> 00:14:08,913
The kid from
the wrong side of the tracks

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00:14:08,982 --> 00:14:12,717
is now Lieutenant Colonel
Noriega.

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00:14:12,786 --> 00:14:17,822
His new position opens up
a clearer pathway to power,

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00:14:17,891 --> 00:14:20,925
one taken by many dictators
on the rise.

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00:14:23,797 --> 00:14:25,997
Coming from an intelligence
background is

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incredibly important in any kind
of dictatorship

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because you know exactly
what is happening.

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00:14:30,837 --> 00:14:33,037
You know who the threats are,

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and you know what to do about
those threats.

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00:14:38,144 --> 00:14:41,145
(Mariam Mufti) As a chief
intelligence officer

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00:14:41,214 --> 00:14:45,350
you are in fact also one of the
most powerful individuals.

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00:14:45,418 --> 00:14:49,153
And that is essentially the key
to Noriega's power.

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00:14:52,025 --> 00:14:55,994
(narrator)
Noriega is now the eyes and ears
of the regime,

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00:14:56,062 --> 00:14:58,396
and he uses the information
he gathers

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00:14:58,465 --> 00:15:02,200
to crush Torrijos' rivals.

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00:15:02,269 --> 00:15:05,069
(Orlando J. Pérez)
Noriega had a free hand

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00:15:05,138 --> 00:15:08,373
to do what he wanted,
and he was ruthless.

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00:15:08,441 --> 00:15:12,410
In basically cracking down on,
on the opposition.

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00:15:15,015 --> 00:15:17,749
(narrator)
Rumors circulate
about Noriega's involvement

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00:15:17,817 --> 00:15:22,053
in several disappearances,
like Héctor Gallego,

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00:15:22,122 --> 00:15:25,990
a young priest who angered
the regime in 1971

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00:15:26,059 --> 00:15:29,560
by organizing
the peasants politically.

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00:15:29,629 --> 00:15:33,932
(John Dinges)
Gallego was arrested and last
seen in military custody.

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00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:38,770
There was a report that he was
beaten up so badly

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00:15:38,838 --> 00:15:40,672
that his, his face was distorted

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00:15:40,740 --> 00:15:44,676
and that then they couldn't then
bring him back

241
00:15:44,744 --> 00:15:48,680
and so they threw his body out
of a helicopter into the ocean.

242
00:15:48,748 --> 00:15:53,251
His body was never found.

243
00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:56,454
(narrator)
But for many, there is

244
00:15:56,523 --> 00:15:59,023
little doubt who is responsible.

245
00:15:59,092 --> 00:16:00,758
(Rubén
speaks Spanish)

246
00:16:16,910 --> 00:16:19,577
And that's why Torrijos called
him "my gangster"

247
00:16:19,646 --> 00:16:22,480
because when he had to kill
people,

248
00:16:22,549 --> 00:16:24,215
he killed people-- that's no
problem.

249
00:16:26,853 --> 00:16:29,654
(narrator)
But Torrijos' loyal soldier

250
00:16:29,723 --> 00:16:32,457
is up to something
behind the scenes.

251
00:16:32,525 --> 00:16:35,159
He's using his position for more

252
00:16:35,228 --> 00:16:38,096
than just crushing
the regime's rivals.

253
00:16:38,164 --> 00:16:41,032
(Orlando J. Pérez)
There is clear evidence

254
00:16:41,101 --> 00:16:44,435
that Noriega's allegiance

255
00:16:44,504 --> 00:16:49,741
was not necessarily to Torrijos
but to himself.

256
00:16:49,809 --> 00:16:52,844
(narrator)
Noriega has developed
a clandestine relationship

257
00:16:52,912 --> 00:16:54,812
that will define
his dictatorship

258
00:16:54,881 --> 00:16:57,348
in the decades to come.

259
00:16:57,417 --> 00:17:00,651
He has been secretly working
as a paid informant...

260
00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:03,688
for the United States.

261
00:17:03,757 --> 00:17:06,290
In the United States, there was
this fear

262
00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:08,459
that revolution was in the air

263
00:17:08,528 --> 00:17:10,561
and that it was being propagated
by Cuba.

264
00:17:10,630 --> 00:17:12,964
[loud cheering]

265
00:17:13,033 --> 00:17:17,568
(narrator)
Since Fidel Castro took power
in Cuba in 1959,

266
00:17:17,637 --> 00:17:20,238
the U.S. has feared
that Communism

267
00:17:20,306 --> 00:17:23,141
will spread all the way
up to Mexico.

268
00:17:23,209 --> 00:17:26,844
Central America has become
a Cold War battleground.

269
00:17:26,913 --> 00:17:28,946
[loud roar of the crowd]

270
00:17:29,015 --> 00:17:31,916
And so for the United States,

271
00:17:31,985 --> 00:17:37,321
the ability to gain intelligence
on these groups

272
00:17:37,390 --> 00:17:41,959
was essential to fighting
the infiltration of communism

273
00:17:42,028 --> 00:17:44,228
in the U.S. backyard.

274
00:17:46,900 --> 00:17:48,599
(narrator)
Well-positioned
to provide intelligence

275
00:17:48,668 --> 00:17:51,169
on the region's communists

276
00:17:51,237 --> 00:17:54,939
Noriega becomes a U.S. spy.

277
00:17:55,008 --> 00:17:57,575
It's the culmination
of a relationship

278
00:17:57,644 --> 00:18:00,978
that began when he was
in military school.

279
00:18:01,047 --> 00:18:03,881
(Peter Eisner)
In the '60s and '70s,

280
00:18:03,950 --> 00:18:07,852
they saw him as a useful asset.

281
00:18:07,921 --> 00:18:13,157
He was providing information
about student activist groups,

282
00:18:13,226 --> 00:18:16,561
left-wing groups
in South America.

283
00:18:16,629 --> 00:18:21,165
So they began to cultivate him
in those early years.

284
00:18:21,234 --> 00:18:25,770
He was getting payments
from the CIA to operate

285
00:18:25,839 --> 00:18:28,840
all of the things that
the United States needed him

286
00:18:28,908 --> 00:18:31,909
to do for them, including
intelligence and wiretaps

287
00:18:31,978 --> 00:18:33,644
of people all over the place.

288
00:18:37,684 --> 00:18:42,386
(narrator)
By the mid 1970s Noriega is
the most important asset

289
00:18:42,455 --> 00:18:45,857
the U.S. has in Central America.

290
00:18:45,925 --> 00:18:49,994
But he's not just spying
on the Cubans for the U.S.,

291
00:18:50,063 --> 00:18:55,133
he's spying on the U.S.
for the Cubans.

292
00:18:55,201 --> 00:18:59,036
Noriega was somewhat
of a double agent, and he was

293
00:18:59,105 --> 00:19:01,806
exchanging information
between the U.S. intelligence

294
00:19:01,875 --> 00:19:06,144
and passing it on to the Cuban
intelligence and so forth.

295
00:19:06,212 --> 00:19:11,215
Noriega relished the ability to
do intelligence operations.

296
00:19:11,284 --> 00:19:14,218
He loved it; he loved the game.

297
00:19:14,287 --> 00:19:17,021
(narrator)
At the height of his
intelligence game

298
00:19:17,090 --> 00:19:20,124
he's selling information to
at least 10 different countries,

299
00:19:20,193 --> 00:19:22,660
including Nicaragua, Israel,

300
00:19:22,729 --> 00:19:26,597
Taiwan, France, and England.

301
00:19:26,666 --> 00:19:30,334
Noriega manages all of this,

302
00:19:30,403 --> 00:19:34,038
like the octopus
with many hands,

303
00:19:34,107 --> 00:19:38,009
and it was in his own interest,

304
00:19:38,077 --> 00:19:42,580
more than it was for
any ideological purpose.

305
00:19:42,649 --> 00:19:45,149
(narrator)
Noriega's growing power

306
00:19:45,218 --> 00:19:48,452
and influence within the nation
don't go unnoticed.

307
00:19:48,521 --> 00:19:53,257
A U.S. Department of Defense
intelligence report

308
00:19:53,326 --> 00:19:57,595
declares Noriega "the possible
future dictator of Panama."

309
00:19:57,664 --> 00:20:02,633
Even Torrijos begins
to feel uneasy.

310
00:20:02,702 --> 00:20:05,203
(Roberto Eisenmann)
Torrijos needed him

311
00:20:05,271 --> 00:20:07,905
but feared him at the same time

312
00:20:07,974 --> 00:20:11,809
because he felt that anytime
he might turn on him.

313
00:20:11,878 --> 00:20:16,047
(narrator)
Noriega may be one of the most
powerful men in Panama,

314
00:20:16,115 --> 00:20:18,983
but his situation is precarious.

315
00:20:21,387 --> 00:20:24,555
[cheers & applause]

316
00:20:24,624 --> 00:20:29,460
September, 1977,
Torrijos signs

317
00:20:29,529 --> 00:20:32,096
an historic treaty with
U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

318
00:20:34,467 --> 00:20:37,101
It guarantees that Panama
will gradually

319
00:20:37,170 --> 00:20:39,837
gain control of the canal
and its revenues

320
00:20:39,906 --> 00:20:42,540
over the next 22 years.

321
00:20:45,878 --> 00:20:48,646
It's a huge victory
for the people,

322
00:20:48,715 --> 00:20:52,116
the country, and Torrijos.

323
00:20:52,185 --> 00:20:56,053
But it could mean trouble
for Noriega.

324
00:20:56,122 --> 00:20:58,589
During the negotiations,

325
00:20:58,658 --> 00:21:02,593
Torrijos promised to transition
to a democracy.

326
00:21:02,662 --> 00:21:08,899
Noriega saw that process
of opening as dangerous.

327
00:21:08,968 --> 00:21:14,839
Dangerous to the ability
of the military,

328
00:21:14,907 --> 00:21:19,477
and of himself probably,
of maintaining control.

329
00:21:22,282 --> 00:21:25,216
(narrator)
And Noriega's right.

330
00:21:25,285 --> 00:21:28,586
Political exiles who'd been
expelled by the regime

331
00:21:28,655 --> 00:21:31,022
return to Panama.

332
00:21:31,090 --> 00:21:33,658
Free elections are planned.

333
00:21:33,726 --> 00:21:36,827
Democracy is in the wind,

334
00:21:36,896 --> 00:21:40,364
and it could spell the end
of Noriega's rise.

335
00:21:40,433 --> 00:21:44,368
But on July 31, 1981,

336
00:21:44,437 --> 00:21:47,538
an event occurs
that changes everything.

337
00:21:53,513 --> 00:21:55,913
(narrator) Panama and its
dictatorship

338
00:21:55,982 --> 00:21:58,316
are thrown into chaos

339
00:21:58,384 --> 00:22:01,218
when the plane of 52-year-old
Omar Torrijos

340
00:22:01,287 --> 00:22:03,888
disappears west of Panama City.

341
00:22:09,095 --> 00:22:13,064
The wreckage is soon discovered
in the hills of Cerro Marta.

342
00:22:13,132 --> 00:22:15,566
There are no survivors.

343
00:22:18,504 --> 00:22:21,872
There has always been rumors,
never proven,

344
00:22:21,941 --> 00:22:28,012
that Noriega had a hand in
Torrijos' accident.

345
00:22:28,081 --> 00:22:31,282
(narrator)
But Noriega is officially
cleared of suspicion

346
00:22:31,351 --> 00:22:33,584
in the tragedy.

347
00:22:36,589 --> 00:22:39,190
And as Torrijos' death
is mourned

348
00:22:39,258 --> 00:22:41,025
by hundreds of thousands,

349
00:22:41,094 --> 00:22:45,129
the question is,
who will replace him?

350
00:22:45,198 --> 00:22:51,235
Torrijos' death resulted in a
leadership vacuum.

351
00:22:51,304 --> 00:22:55,206
And that vacuum had to be filled
by someone.

352
00:22:55,274 --> 00:22:59,543
(narrator)
As the head of G2
and Torrijos' right-hand man,

353
00:22:59,612 --> 00:23:03,547
Noriega has a wide-open path
to the leadership.

354
00:23:03,616 --> 00:23:07,184
all he has to do is take it.

355
00:23:07,253 --> 00:23:10,154
(Mariam Mufti)
Noriega being the chief
intelligence officer,

356
00:23:10,223 --> 00:23:14,492
and having the most access to
what was going on,

357
00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:17,762
the undercurrents at the time,
seized the moment

358
00:23:17,830 --> 00:23:21,565
to advance his own agenda
and rise to the top himself.

359
00:23:24,570 --> 00:23:28,739
(narrator)
By August, 1983,
Manuel Noriega holds

360
00:23:28,808 --> 00:23:31,475
the top military position
in the country--

361
00:23:31,544 --> 00:23:33,577
Commander of the National Guard.

362
00:23:37,784 --> 00:23:43,154
Like Torrijos before him, he is
the country's de facto leader.

363
00:23:43,222 --> 00:23:46,323
All of a sudden Noriega's the
most powerful man in Panama,

364
00:23:46,392 --> 00:23:49,326
and he quoted Torrijos,

365
00:23:49,395 --> 00:23:52,797
"The first duty of a man in
power is to stay in power."

366
00:23:52,865 --> 00:23:54,899
(narrator)
That won't be easy.

367
00:23:54,967 --> 00:23:58,302
Noriega already faces
a daunting obstacle--

368
00:23:58,371 --> 00:24:01,505
Torrijos' promise to the U.S.

369
00:24:01,574 --> 00:24:05,309
that Panama will hold
democratic elections.

370
00:24:05,378 --> 00:24:10,714
If Noriega keeps that pledge,
he could find himself sidelined.

371
00:24:10,783 --> 00:24:15,085
He needed the veneer of
democracy, he needed the country

372
00:24:15,154 --> 00:24:18,856
to seem to be a civilian
dominated democracy

373
00:24:18,925 --> 00:24:21,692
to avoid the opposition from
getting too much power.

374
00:24:24,464 --> 00:24:26,931
(narrator)
Opposition politicians have
their own agenda.

375
00:24:26,999 --> 00:24:30,301
They want to limit the power
of the military

376
00:24:30,369 --> 00:24:33,504
and create
a more democratic Panama.

377
00:24:33,573 --> 00:24:38,676
Noriega has a plan to keep
the opposition at bay

378
00:24:38,744 --> 00:24:41,278
while he rules from the shadows,

379
00:24:41,347 --> 00:24:44,315
an elected puppet president
will do his bidding.

380
00:24:44,383 --> 00:24:47,251
It was going to be a democracy

381
00:24:47,320 --> 00:24:48,853
under the control
of the military.

382
00:24:52,024 --> 00:24:55,759
(narrator)
To pull it off Noriega needs
his puppet candidate,

383
00:24:55,828 --> 00:24:59,897
Nicolas Ardito Barletta,
to win the presidency.

384
00:24:59,966 --> 00:25:05,436
But on election day, 1984,
as the results start coming in,

385
00:25:05,505 --> 00:25:08,038
Bartlett is losing.

386
00:25:08,107 --> 00:25:11,842
And then Noriega intervenes.

387
00:25:11,911 --> 00:25:14,645
60,000 opposition votes
suddenly disappear.

388
00:25:17,850 --> 00:25:20,818
Barletta becomes president.

389
00:25:23,890 --> 00:25:27,491
On the surface Panama appears
to be a democracy,

390
00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:30,928
but Noriega holds
the real power.

391
00:25:30,997 --> 00:25:34,164
Supposedly the president is
the top person in the country,

392
00:25:34,233 --> 00:25:38,269
but in fact,
it's really Noriega.

393
00:25:38,337 --> 00:25:42,506
(narrator)
from the start, Noriega is
a polarizing figure.

394
00:25:42,575 --> 00:25:46,944
(Orlando J. Pérez)
For the opposition in Panama,
they saw him

395
00:25:47,013 --> 00:25:53,751
as someone who was ruthless
in the way he gained power.

396
00:25:53,819 --> 00:25:59,590
Now, for others,
his group of supporters,

397
00:25:59,659 --> 00:26:04,962
he was a nationalist defender
of Panama

398
00:26:05,031 --> 00:26:10,234
against the imperial U.S.
trying to dominate Panama.

399
00:26:10,303 --> 00:26:13,737
(narrator)
Noriega quickly sets out

400
00:26:13,806 --> 00:26:16,340
to reap the benefits
of his position.

401
00:26:19,679 --> 00:26:22,446
(Mariam Mufti)
Amassing personal fortunes
for dictators

402
00:26:22,515 --> 00:26:25,716
is a symbol of prestige,
of grandiosity,

403
00:26:25,785 --> 00:26:28,719
and even invincibility.

404
00:26:28,788 --> 00:26:33,958
That hoarding aspect of taking
and extracting revenue

405
00:26:34,026 --> 00:26:36,460
and wealth from, from society,

406
00:26:36,529 --> 00:26:39,296
and using it
for your own purposes,

407
00:26:39,365 --> 00:26:41,565
is a hallmark of
most dictatorships.

408
00:26:45,004 --> 00:26:48,939
(narrator)
In the early '80s,
Noriega sees a new way

409
00:26:49,008 --> 00:26:54,345
to turn his power into money--
the drug trade.

410
00:26:54,413 --> 00:26:58,649
(John Dinges)
When Torrijos is gone,
that coincides with the rise

411
00:26:58,718 --> 00:27:03,187
of the drug cartels in Columbia,
1981 is really the founding

412
00:27:03,255 --> 00:27:07,691
of the Medellin Cartel by
Pablo Escobar and Jorge Ochoa.

413
00:27:07,760 --> 00:27:12,663
Noriega very quickly is in touch
with that network of people.

414
00:27:16,569 --> 00:27:22,439
Tons of cocaine were being
produced in the jungles of Peru

415
00:27:22,508 --> 00:27:27,711
and Colombia, and they needed
ways to get the material

416
00:27:27,780 --> 00:27:31,482
through to the United States
or Europe or anyplace else.

417
00:27:31,550 --> 00:27:35,486
(John Dinges)
Drugs begin to fly
in and out of Panama

418
00:27:35,554 --> 00:27:39,356
and he starts
to make $150,000 per flight.

419
00:27:41,894 --> 00:27:45,062
(narrator)
Over the next few years,

420
00:27:45,131 --> 00:27:49,333
Noriega will pocket an
easy $10 million to $15 million.

421
00:27:49,402 --> 00:27:53,170
And soon he's
not just running drugs,

422
00:27:53,239 --> 00:27:58,308
he's running arms
for the Americans.

423
00:27:58,377 --> 00:28:02,780
The Reagan administration is
arming the Contras in Nicaragua

424
00:28:02,848 --> 00:28:07,151
and other anti-communist rebels
in Central America.

425
00:28:07,219 --> 00:28:10,154
(John Dinges)
He's involved
in transporting arms

426
00:28:10,222 --> 00:28:13,524
back and forth to the various
fighting forces

427
00:28:13,592 --> 00:28:15,392
in the Central American
civil wars.

428
00:28:15,461 --> 00:28:19,630
So he is now becoming
a key person

429
00:28:19,699 --> 00:28:24,468
in the clandestine business
happening in central America.

430
00:28:24,537 --> 00:28:28,005
(narrator)
But Noriega's schemes
don't go unnoticed.

431
00:28:31,877 --> 00:28:36,914
Hugo Spadafora, a hugely popular
leftist revolutionary,

432
00:28:36,982 --> 00:28:39,917
has learned of his illicit
activities.

433
00:28:39,985 --> 00:28:42,653
And he's publicly
denouncing him.

434
00:28:45,257 --> 00:28:47,891
[Hugo speaking Spanish]

435
00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:51,495
(John Dinges)
Hugo Spadafora was
a tall, handsome,

436
00:28:51,564 --> 00:28:55,099
Italian decent Panamanian,

437
00:28:55,167 --> 00:28:58,936
I call him
a romantic revolutionary.

438
00:28:59,004 --> 00:29:04,541
And he is going on television
saying Noriega's a dictator,

439
00:29:04,610 --> 00:29:07,144
Noriega's a drug trafficker,
Noriega is repressing freedoms.

440
00:29:07,213 --> 00:29:10,280
Noriega is furious.

441
00:29:14,053 --> 00:29:18,355
(narrator)
Noriega is further enraged in
September, 1984,

442
00:29:18,424 --> 00:29:21,759
when Spadafora takes his claim
to the opposition newspaper,

443
00:29:21,827 --> 00:29:24,361
La Prensa.

444
00:29:24,430 --> 00:29:26,864
it prints the story
which echoes

445
00:29:26,932 --> 00:29:29,633
far beyond the borders
of Panama.

446
00:29:29,702 --> 00:29:34,972
It even raises eyebrows
in the White House.

447
00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:39,109
Up to now, the U.S. government
has kept a blind eye

448
00:29:39,178 --> 00:29:41,645
to Noriega's drug trafficking

449
00:29:41,714 --> 00:29:45,249
because of his help with
intelligence and running arms.

450
00:29:45,317 --> 00:29:48,152
Now, the U.S. is forced
to at least appear

451
00:29:48,220 --> 00:29:50,888
to take some action.

452
00:29:50,956 --> 00:29:54,158
(John Dinges)
The United States
does make it known

453
00:29:54,226 --> 00:29:58,228
that we have heard that you're
involved in drug trafficking

454
00:29:58,297 --> 00:30:01,865
and that's a really,
really bad thing.

455
00:30:01,934 --> 00:30:06,069
Noriega kind of salutes
and says okay, I'm out of it.

456
00:30:08,908 --> 00:30:11,975
(narrator)
But Noriega's
just playing the U.S.

457
00:30:12,044 --> 00:30:15,712
He merely reduces his role
in trafficking drugs.

458
00:30:15,781 --> 00:30:21,018
And he discovers a way to profit
even more from the cartels--

459
00:30:21,086 --> 00:30:26,456
by laundering their money
in Panamanian banks.

460
00:30:26,525 --> 00:30:29,693
Steven Kalish, the leader
of a smuggling ring

461
00:30:29,762 --> 00:30:32,563
that has imported hundreds of
thousands of pounds of drugs

462
00:30:32,631 --> 00:30:35,532
into the U.S.,
hopes Noriega will help him

463
00:30:35,601 --> 00:30:38,869
clean millions of dollars
of dirty money.

464
00:30:38,938 --> 00:30:42,973
(Steven Kalish) I met Noriega,
he told me that

465
00:30:43,042 --> 00:30:45,609
he thought that everything I was
looking for

466
00:30:45,678 --> 00:30:47,945
I could find in Panama.

467
00:30:48,013 --> 00:30:51,281
He provided me
a safe banking haven.

468
00:30:54,587 --> 00:30:58,655
It allowed me to bring in
$25 million, $30 million

469
00:30:58,724 --> 00:31:02,593
that had been sitting in a house
in Tampa Florida.

470
00:31:02,661 --> 00:31:05,996
(narrator)
And Kalish is just
the tip of the iceberg.

471
00:31:06,065 --> 00:31:11,468
Noriega hauls in
about $10 million a month

472
00:31:11,537 --> 00:31:14,037
by laundering
the Cartels' money,

473
00:31:14,106 --> 00:31:18,909
totaling as much as $350 million
by the early '80s.

474
00:31:18,978 --> 00:31:22,479
After amassing his fortune,

475
00:31:22,548 --> 00:31:24,514
Noriega has no compunction
about spending it.

476
00:31:27,553 --> 00:31:30,587
He splurges on luxury cars,

477
00:31:30,656 --> 00:31:34,091
mansions, and estates
all over the world.

478
00:31:34,159 --> 00:31:37,294
(Steven Kalish)
He lived a lavish lifestyle.

479
00:31:37,363 --> 00:31:41,732
He had very beautiful women
flown in from the U.S.

480
00:31:41,800 --> 00:31:44,468
It was extremely festive.

481
00:31:44,536 --> 00:31:47,804
He was fun to be around.

482
00:31:47,873 --> 00:31:50,107
(Rubén Dario Paredes
speaking Spanish)

483
00:31:57,917 --> 00:32:01,518
(narrator)
Noriega's the wealthiest man
in Panama.

484
00:32:01,587 --> 00:32:05,622
But he still doesn't have what
he desperately wants-- respect.

485
00:32:05,691 --> 00:32:09,526
[Noriega commands;
men respond]

486
00:32:09,595 --> 00:32:12,829
(Peter Eisner)
If there's one thing
that he wanted

487
00:32:12,898 --> 00:32:17,301
was to be seen as being
a Panamanian nationalist

488
00:32:17,369 --> 00:32:20,037
in the way Omar Torrijos
was seen,

489
00:32:20,105 --> 00:32:23,206
and a figure to be honored.

490
00:32:23,275 --> 00:32:26,209
But he was never going to be
seen as the charismatic

491
00:32:26,278 --> 00:32:28,879
swashbuckling, handsome fellow,

492
00:32:28,948 --> 00:32:32,416
his physical appearance was
always a detriment to that,

493
00:32:32,484 --> 00:32:35,552
and it was painful, and it
really hurt.

494
00:32:39,158 --> 00:32:42,092
(narrator)
Noriega's nemesis,
Hugo Spadafora,

495
00:32:42,161 --> 00:32:45,662
is everything
Noriega isn't.

496
00:32:45,731 --> 00:32:50,334
And Spadafora's criticisms are
turning the people against him.

497
00:32:50,402 --> 00:32:53,403
(John Dinges)
Hugo Spadafora signaled

498
00:32:53,472 --> 00:32:56,306
that he was going to lead

499
00:32:56,375 --> 00:32:58,041
an opposition movement
against Noriega.

500
00:33:01,847 --> 00:33:06,316
(Natasha Ezrow)
Hugo Spadafora was a real
threat to his power.

501
00:33:06,385 --> 00:33:10,020
And so instead of keeping him
around,

502
00:33:10,089 --> 00:33:12,356
where he could foment dissent

503
00:33:12,424 --> 00:33:15,392
and help civil society groups
continue

504
00:33:15,461 --> 00:33:17,761
to challenge Noriega, he did
something about it.

505
00:33:27,673 --> 00:33:31,575
(narrator)
September 17, 1985.

506
00:33:31,643 --> 00:33:35,612
The headline in La Prensa
delivers the shocking news.

507
00:33:35,681 --> 00:33:40,283
Guerilla fighter and political
leader, Hugo Spadafora,

508
00:33:40,352 --> 00:33:44,054
has been murdered... he is
found in a Costa Rican river,

509
00:33:44,123 --> 00:33:46,656
stuffed in a U.S. mailbag.

510
00:33:46,725 --> 00:33:50,027
He was beheaded.

511
00:33:50,095 --> 00:33:54,331
And it's said that beheaded
alive and tortured horribly.

512
00:33:57,169 --> 00:33:59,903
You look at that photograph,

513
00:33:59,972 --> 00:34:02,072
and you can't get over it
forever.

514
00:34:06,078 --> 00:34:09,479
(narrator)
Spadafora was last seen
when Panamanian soldiers

515
00:34:09,548 --> 00:34:12,549
took him off a bus near
the Panama/Costa Rica border.

516
00:34:15,287 --> 00:34:20,123
Many suspect that Manuel Noriega
is behind the crime.

517
00:34:20,192 --> 00:34:22,225
[Rubén Dario Paredes
speaking Spanish]

518
00:34:40,946 --> 00:34:44,614
That was a,
a very important moment

519
00:34:44,683 --> 00:34:49,352
where Noriega actually started
going downhill.

520
00:34:53,025 --> 00:34:57,027
(narrator)
Panamanians are outraged
by Spadafora's murder...

521
00:34:57,096 --> 00:35:00,230
80,000 attend his funeral.

522
00:35:00,299 --> 00:35:04,334
And they're further inflamed

523
00:35:04,403 --> 00:35:07,270
when Panamanian officials file
no charges in the case.

524
00:35:09,775 --> 00:35:12,476
The press coverage
of the Spadafora incident

525
00:35:12,544 --> 00:35:15,912
causes widespread unrest
among the public.

526
00:35:15,981 --> 00:35:20,517
Noriega needs to find a way
to change the narrative.

527
00:35:26,225 --> 00:35:30,927
(Mariam Mufti)
Dictators want to make sure
that the messaging that

528
00:35:30,996 --> 00:35:35,065
is going out to the citizens
supports the dictator's agenda.

529
00:35:35,134 --> 00:35:38,668
So if a free media is
relentlessly criticizing

530
00:35:38,737 --> 00:35:41,805
the dictatorship, dictators
often use

531
00:35:41,874 --> 00:35:44,541
the practice of preemption
to control the message.

532
00:35:44,610 --> 00:35:46,877
And Noriega was really good at
that.

533
00:35:50,983 --> 00:35:57,354
(John Dinges)
Noriega sent his troops in to
raid the offices of La Prensa,

534
00:35:57,422 --> 00:36:01,258
to show them don't go
investigating things

535
00:36:01,326 --> 00:36:05,228
that you shouldn't be
investigating.

536
00:36:05,297 --> 00:36:10,734
(Roberto Eisenmann)
We were receiving death threats
on a weekly basis.

537
00:36:10,802 --> 00:36:14,604
We had to make a decision.

538
00:36:14,673 --> 00:36:18,708
I said go back to your families,
and talk to them tonight,

539
00:36:18,777 --> 00:36:21,178
and tell them you're going to
involve yourself

540
00:36:21,246 --> 00:36:24,848
in a life-threatening objective,

541
00:36:24,917 --> 00:36:27,918
we're either going for it,
or we're not.

542
00:36:27,986 --> 00:36:29,819
And everybody came back
and said, "Let's go."

543
00:36:32,524 --> 00:36:34,624
(narrator)
Noriega's in a bind.

544
00:36:37,296 --> 00:36:40,230
To keep up the semblance
of democracy

545
00:36:40,299 --> 00:36:43,200
he can't completely
silence the press.

546
00:36:43,268 --> 00:36:48,138
And he pays the price
in June, 1986,

547
00:36:48,207 --> 00:36:50,507
when New York Times reporter,
Seymour Hersh,

548
00:36:50,576 --> 00:36:54,744
publishes an exposé.

549
00:36:54,813 --> 00:36:57,681
Hersh details the dictator's
illicit activities

550
00:36:57,749 --> 00:37:00,116
and claims that
the U.S. knew about them,

551
00:37:00,185 --> 00:37:04,187
but turned a blind eye.

552
00:37:04,256 --> 00:37:06,723
(Orlando J. Pérez) The biggest
revelation of that article

553
00:37:06,792 --> 00:37:10,994
was the fact that the U.S.
was complicit

554
00:37:11,063 --> 00:37:15,131
in Noriega's illicit activities

555
00:37:15,200 --> 00:37:19,836
well back into the 1970s.

556
00:37:19,905 --> 00:37:24,541
(narrator)
The news is an embarrassment
for the Reagan administration.

557
00:37:24,610 --> 00:37:27,677
(Orlando J. Pérez)
This was a drug trafficker

558
00:37:27,746 --> 00:37:31,948
cooperating with drug cartels
in the midst of

559
00:37:32,017 --> 00:37:35,752
the Reagan administration's
strong war on drugs.

560
00:37:35,821 --> 00:37:40,390
It became shameful
for the U.S. government

561
00:37:40,459 --> 00:37:44,794
to continue supporting
Noriega openly.

562
00:37:44,863 --> 00:37:48,765
(narrator)
Noriega spends months currying
favor with his U.S. allies,

563
00:37:48,834 --> 00:37:52,836
trying to stem the bleeding
from the Hersh article.

564
00:37:52,904 --> 00:37:57,240
Noriega used my private jet to
fly to Washington DC

565
00:37:57,309 --> 00:38:00,210
to meet with the director
of the CIA.

566
00:38:00,279 --> 00:38:03,179
Upon his return Noriega said

567
00:38:03,248 --> 00:38:07,384
with a big smile on his face
that the U.S. needed him

568
00:38:07,452 --> 00:38:10,920
for assistance
in the war on drugs.

569
00:38:13,859 --> 00:38:18,328
(narrator)
Noriega assists the DEA
on Operation Pisces,

570
00:38:18,397 --> 00:38:21,931
a massive crackdown
on Colombian drug cartels

571
00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:26,202
that results in the indictment
of kingpin Pablo Escobar.

572
00:38:26,271 --> 00:38:31,975
Noriega's men arrest 40 drug
traffickers and seize millions

573
00:38:32,044 --> 00:38:36,046
from money laundering accounts
in 18 Panamanian banks.

574
00:38:36,114 --> 00:38:40,050
Noriega's U.S. allies
are satisfied...

575
00:38:40,118 --> 00:38:42,519
but he's facing a threat

576
00:38:42,587 --> 00:38:45,955
from someone on the inside
of his regime,

577
00:38:46,024 --> 00:38:51,127
his second in command,
Colonel Roberto Diaz Herrera.

578
00:38:51,196 --> 00:38:53,897
(Orlando J. Pérez)
Roberto Diaz Herrera

579
00:38:53,965 --> 00:38:57,867
was a friend of Noriega
and a collaborator of Noriega

580
00:38:57,936 --> 00:39:01,905
and Torrijos from the 1960s.

581
00:39:01,973 --> 00:39:04,240
(narrator)
When Noriega first took power,

582
00:39:04,309 --> 00:39:07,077
he made a deal with Herrera--

583
00:39:07,145 --> 00:39:11,481
to give him a turn as leader
after 4 years.

584
00:39:11,550 --> 00:39:18,021
In May, 1987, Noriega's time is
up, and Herrera wants in.

585
00:39:18,090 --> 00:39:22,258
But now that Noriega's on top,

586
00:39:22,327 --> 00:39:25,829
he's not
stepping down for anyone.

587
00:39:25,897 --> 00:39:29,199
(Orlando J. Pérez)
Noriega as he was apt to do,

588
00:39:29,267 --> 00:39:33,603
double-crossed him, and went
back on his agreement.

589
00:39:33,672 --> 00:39:37,607
And basically cashiered
Diaz Herrera

590
00:39:37,676 --> 00:39:40,377
to some diplomatic post.

591
00:39:42,948 --> 00:39:46,049
(narrator)
But Herrera refuses
to go quietly.

592
00:39:46,118 --> 00:39:48,718
He takes his story to the press

593
00:39:48,787 --> 00:39:51,688
and makes some explosive claims.

594
00:39:51,757 --> 00:39:57,093
He maintains that he helped
Noriega rig the 1984 election.

595
00:39:57,162 --> 00:40:01,765
Even worse,
Herrera accuses Noriega

596
00:40:01,833 --> 00:40:04,501
of ordering Hugo Spadafora's
murder,

597
00:40:04,569 --> 00:40:08,004
and of planting a bomb
on Torrijos' plane.

598
00:40:08,073 --> 00:40:12,709
[loud chanting]

599
00:40:12,778 --> 00:40:16,846
Herrera's allegations trigger
mass revolt among the people.

600
00:40:16,915 --> 00:40:20,950
A few days after
these revelations,

601
00:40:21,019 --> 00:40:25,388
massive protests took place

602
00:40:25,457 --> 00:40:29,826
in the streets of Panama City
protesting the regime.

603
00:40:33,165 --> 00:40:36,533
(narrator)
Noriega arrests Herrera
for high treason,

604
00:40:36,601 --> 00:40:41,704
and the angry protests
swell to 100,000 people.

605
00:40:41,773 --> 00:40:45,809
It was pots and pans
and white handkerchiefs.

606
00:40:45,877 --> 00:40:48,511
It was a nonviolent movement.

607
00:40:48,580 --> 00:40:50,980
[horns honking; people yelling]

608
00:40:51,049 --> 00:40:55,819
(narrator)
The protestors ridicule
Noriega's appearance,

609
00:40:55,887 --> 00:40:58,021
calling him "Pineapple Face."

610
00:41:03,028 --> 00:41:09,165
And the military dictator,
enraged, cracks down hard.

611
00:41:09,234 --> 00:41:12,836
(Roberto Eisenmann)
He reacted violently,

612
00:41:12,904 --> 00:41:15,371
people were jailed and tortured
and so forth,

613
00:41:15,440 --> 00:41:19,476
it was quite horrible.

614
00:41:22,380 --> 00:41:26,282
(narrator)
The turmoil is broadcast
all over the world.

615
00:41:26,351 --> 00:41:30,987
A state of emergency
is declared.

616
00:41:31,056 --> 00:41:36,793
It appears Noriega is losing
control of the country.

617
00:41:36,862 --> 00:41:42,065
(Orlando J. Pérez)
The impact of the Herrera
revelations was significant

618
00:41:42,133 --> 00:41:46,703
in essentially making it
even more difficult

619
00:41:46,771 --> 00:41:50,306
for the U.S.
to simply look the other way.

620
00:41:50,375 --> 00:41:55,712
Politically,
it was unpalatable,

621
00:41:55,780 --> 00:41:58,748
untenable to give him
a free pass.

622
00:42:00,886 --> 00:42:04,420
(narrator)
On June 26, 1987,

623
00:42:04,489 --> 00:42:08,124
the U.S. calls for
Noriega's removal.

624
00:42:08,193 --> 00:42:12,795
The administration tries
to force him to step down:

625
00:42:12,864 --> 00:42:17,066
cutting Noriega from CIA
payrolls, and indicting him

626
00:42:17,135 --> 00:42:19,969
for drug trafficking
and money laundering.

627
00:42:20,038 --> 00:42:23,973
There was tremendous effort

628
00:42:24,042 --> 00:42:29,045
to broker some sort of deal
and pressure Noriega to leave.

629
00:42:31,816 --> 00:42:35,118
(narrator)
But Noriega isn't going
anywhere.

630
00:42:35,186 --> 00:42:39,122
Instead, he tries to bolster
his dwindling support,

631
00:42:39,190 --> 00:42:41,591
by fanning the flames
of anti-American sentiment

632
00:42:41,660 --> 00:42:45,161
among his people.

633
00:42:45,230 --> 00:42:50,967
(Orlando J. Pérez)
I think he believed
his own myth of invincibility.

634
00:42:51,036 --> 00:42:55,305
He had survived
double-crossing the cartels,

635
00:42:55,373 --> 00:42:59,142
double-crossing the CIA, and he
thought he was gonna survive.

636
00:42:59,210 --> 00:43:01,811
(narrator)
But Noriega faces
another challenge

637
00:43:01,880 --> 00:43:04,180
within his own borders.

638
00:43:04,249 --> 00:43:08,017
May 7, 1989.

639
00:43:08,086 --> 00:43:11,588
Panamanians go to the polls
to elect a new president.

640
00:43:11,656 --> 00:43:13,790
[loud cheering]

641
00:43:13,858 --> 00:43:15,858
(narrator) Just like in '84,

642
00:43:15,927 --> 00:43:19,696
It appears the opposition is
on the verge of victory...

643
00:43:19,764 --> 00:43:23,266
Until Noriega steps in

644
00:43:23,335 --> 00:43:26,603
and declares his own candidate
the winner.

645
00:43:26,671 --> 00:43:29,405
(John Dinges)
He just names a president.

646
00:43:29,474 --> 00:43:32,976
So this is Noriega basically

647
00:43:33,044 --> 00:43:35,979
throwing the pretense of
democracy out the window.

648
00:43:36,047 --> 00:43:40,016
[many people yelling]

649
00:43:40,085 --> 00:43:43,186
(narrator)
Panama City is engulfed in
protests against Noriega

650
00:43:43,254 --> 00:43:45,788
and his regime.

651
00:43:45,857 --> 00:43:48,625
[many people yelling]

652
00:43:53,264 --> 00:43:56,966
(narrator)
He sends in his own
paramilitary group,

653
00:43:57,035 --> 00:44:00,603
known as the Dignity Battalions,
to suppress the protestors.

654
00:44:03,241 --> 00:44:06,342
They beat the opposition
vice presidential candidate

655
00:44:06,411 --> 00:44:10,780
Guillermo "Billy" Ford
unmercifully.

656
00:44:10,849 --> 00:44:14,484
(Orlando J. Pérez)
You have that famous picture

657
00:44:14,552 --> 00:44:17,887
of Billy Ford with his blood
soaked [speaks a Spanish word].

658
00:44:17,956 --> 00:44:21,090
Those images were very impactful

659
00:44:21,159 --> 00:44:25,528
because the images revealed

660
00:44:25,597 --> 00:44:29,732
for the world to see,
the brutality of the regime.

661
00:44:29,801 --> 00:44:32,035
(narrator)
In the U.S.,

662
00:44:32,103 --> 00:44:34,404
the pressure mounts
on a new President,

663
00:44:34,472 --> 00:44:36,939
George H.W. Bush,
to take action.

664
00:44:39,711 --> 00:44:42,245
Noriega's become less useful
to the U.S.,

665
00:44:42,313 --> 00:44:44,447
and Bush is worried about

666
00:44:44,516 --> 00:44:46,683
the thousands
of American citizens

667
00:44:46,751 --> 00:44:49,786
who still live
in the Canal Zone.

668
00:44:49,854 --> 00:44:53,222
Bush makes a public demand
for Noriega's resignation.

669
00:44:55,760 --> 00:45:03,066
But Noriega isn't listening.

670
00:45:03,134 --> 00:45:05,234
[applause & cheers;
Noriega speaks Spanish]

671
00:45:16,181 --> 00:45:19,849
The U.S. government
pushed him over the edge,

672
00:45:19,918 --> 00:45:24,954
and he felt betrayed.

673
00:45:25,023 --> 00:45:31,160
I think he reached a tipping
point, he actually broke.

674
00:45:31,229 --> 00:45:37,100
He was no longer really
in control of his emotions.

675
00:45:37,168 --> 00:45:39,635
(narrator)
Seven months
after President Bush

676
00:45:39,704 --> 00:45:41,738
orders Noreiga's resignation,

677
00:45:41,806 --> 00:45:44,340
his regime condemns
the superpower

678
00:45:44,409 --> 00:45:46,409
for "insulting
Panama's sovereignty

679
00:45:46,478 --> 00:45:49,645
and territorial integrity."

680
00:45:49,714 --> 00:45:53,416
Noriega said that a state of war
was developing

681
00:45:53,485 --> 00:45:56,419
between the two countries.

682
00:45:56,488 --> 00:46:00,123
(narrator)
He's thumbing his nose
at the U.S.

683
00:46:00,191 --> 00:46:02,892
and seems to think
he can get away with it.

684
00:46:02,961 --> 00:46:06,329
He played
a very high-stakes game,

685
00:46:06,397 --> 00:46:09,632
in which he defied
the U.S. government.

686
00:46:09,701 --> 00:46:14,070
[yelling in Spanish]

687
00:46:14,139 --> 00:46:17,907
There was a saying
that the United States is

688
00:46:17,976 --> 00:46:21,544
like a monkey on a chain--
you can play with the monkey

689
00:46:21,613 --> 00:46:23,780
but don't pull
the chain too hard,

690
00:46:23,848 --> 00:46:26,215
because the monkey's
going to bite you.

691
00:46:34,025 --> 00:46:36,459
(narrator)
Noriega's threatening behavior

692
00:46:36,528 --> 00:46:41,497
has the 40,000 Americans
living in Panama on edge.

693
00:46:41,566 --> 00:46:49,071
On December 16, 1989, the
tensions finally boil over.

694
00:46:49,140 --> 00:46:53,943
A Panamanian officer
fires on an American car

695
00:46:54,012 --> 00:46:56,212
when it runs
a military checkpoint,

696
00:46:56,281 --> 00:46:59,582
and a U.S. marine is killed.

697
00:46:59,651 --> 00:47:01,217
[Rubén Dario Paredes
speaks Spanish]

698
00:47:06,858 --> 00:47:11,894
I will protect the lives
of Americans in Panama,

699
00:47:11,963 --> 00:47:14,564
whether they're military
or civilian.

700
00:47:14,632 --> 00:47:17,333
We will not let Americans' lives

701
00:47:17,402 --> 00:47:21,170
be put at risk
by a dictator down here.

702
00:47:21,239 --> 00:47:25,408
(narrator)
December 20, 1989.

703
00:47:25,476 --> 00:47:29,045
U.S. troops
storm Panama City.

704
00:47:29,113 --> 00:47:31,914
Their mission-- secure
the safety of Americans

705
00:47:31,983 --> 00:47:34,217
and take down Manuel Noriega.

706
00:47:48,399 --> 00:47:50,967
[loud explosion]

707
00:47:51,035 --> 00:47:56,505
[gunfire; people screaming]

708
00:47:59,344 --> 00:48:01,711
(Orlando J. Pérez)
The machete wielding

709
00:48:01,779 --> 00:48:06,482
you know, El Man,
who had defied the U.S.,

710
00:48:06,551 --> 00:48:10,519
for so many years,
basically goes into hiding.

711
00:48:12,657 --> 00:48:15,258
(Roberto Eisenmann)
He did not issue

712
00:48:15,326 --> 00:48:19,161
one military order-- not one.

713
00:48:19,230 --> 00:48:22,131
He just ran and ran and ran.

714
00:48:22,200 --> 00:48:26,802
That says a lot about bullies.

715
00:48:26,871 --> 00:48:31,874
All bullies are
basically cowards.

716
00:48:37,315 --> 00:48:41,017
(narrator)
After resisting U.S. forces
on its own for 4 days,

717
00:48:41,085 --> 00:48:44,754
the Panamanian Army, vastly
outnumbered, is defeated.

718
00:48:47,492 --> 00:48:50,927
The American invasion
has left more than

719
00:48:50,995 --> 00:48:54,797
a thousand Panamanians,
soldiers and civilians, dead.

720
00:48:54,866 --> 00:48:59,635
20,000 are homeless.

721
00:48:59,704 --> 00:49:03,706
And Noriega is still on the run.

722
00:49:06,311 --> 00:49:09,745
On Christmas Eve,
he finds desperate refuge

723
00:49:09,814 --> 00:49:13,349
in Panama City's
Vatican Embassy.

724
00:49:13,418 --> 00:49:17,553
He believed the Vatican Embassy
might provide safe haven

725
00:49:17,622 --> 00:49:20,856
to allow him to get out
into exile someplace.

726
00:49:23,861 --> 00:49:26,829
(narrator)
U.S. forces are
quickly tipped off,

727
00:49:26,898 --> 00:49:29,498
but Noriega refuses
to surrender.

728
00:49:35,707 --> 00:49:39,375
Outside, protesters
call for his head,

729
00:49:39,444 --> 00:49:42,778
taunting him with chants
of "Pineapple Face!"

730
00:49:42,847 --> 00:49:44,880
[loud chanting]

731
00:49:49,187 --> 00:49:52,288
(narrator)
January 3, 1990.

732
00:49:52,357 --> 00:49:55,758
Panama's military dictator
surrenders to the U.S.,

733
00:49:55,827 --> 00:49:59,161
but with one condition.

734
00:49:59,230 --> 00:50:02,631
(John Dinges)
He wanted to surrender
in uniform,

735
00:50:02,700 --> 00:50:05,534
but the United States then did

736
00:50:05,603 --> 00:50:07,703
something that was
very humiliating.

737
00:50:07,772 --> 00:50:12,008
As soon as Noriega was arrested,

738
00:50:12,076 --> 00:50:14,443
they made him take off
his uniform

739
00:50:14,512 --> 00:50:17,680
and they took a picture of him
with a wrinkled T-shirt,

740
00:50:17,749 --> 00:50:22,618
Noriega looking like
a common criminal.

741
00:50:22,687 --> 00:50:26,422
And that was the picture that
they put out around the world

742
00:50:26,491 --> 00:50:28,491
to show that Noriega
was in custody.

743
00:50:31,629 --> 00:50:35,197
(narrator)
After a tumultuous 6 years
as Panama's dictator,

744
00:50:35,266 --> 00:50:38,601
the boy born with nothing
who once had everything,

745
00:50:38,669 --> 00:50:42,104
has just lost it all.

746
00:50:42,173 --> 00:50:44,940
(Natasha Ezrow)
Noriega was incredibly greedy.

747
00:50:45,009 --> 00:50:47,276
He was not only corrupted
by power,

748
00:50:47,345 --> 00:50:49,211
but he was also corrupted
by greed.

749
00:50:49,280 --> 00:50:51,514
And that ended up
being his downfall.

750
00:50:53,618 --> 00:50:56,018
(narrator)
In 1992, in Miami, Florida,

751
00:50:56,087 --> 00:50:58,988
Manuel Noriega is convicted
of drug trafficking,

752
00:50:59,057 --> 00:51:01,991
racketeering,
and money laundering.

753
00:51:02,060 --> 00:51:05,294
He's sentenced to 40 years
in prison.

754
00:51:05,363 --> 00:51:08,164
[crowd yelling]

755
00:51:08,232 --> 00:51:11,901
(narrator)
Panamanians rejoice
in the streets.

756
00:51:14,672 --> 00:51:18,774
Noriega spends 25 years
in custody

757
00:51:18,843 --> 00:51:25,448
in the U.S., France,
and in the end... Panama.

758
00:51:25,516 --> 00:51:30,252
In 2017, he dies
at the age of 83.

759
00:51:43,534 --> 00:51:47,403
(narrator)
At the height of his power
Noriega had amassed a fortune

760
00:51:47,472 --> 00:51:52,975
estimated at $600 million.

761
00:51:53,044 --> 00:51:57,746
Today, while his estates
are crumbling,

762
00:51:57,815 --> 00:52:01,016
his country is rebuilding.

763
00:52:01,085 --> 00:52:06,589
(John Dinges)
Panama got the canal back
in 1999

764
00:52:06,657 --> 00:52:11,193
and they've run it very
successfully, very competently.

765
00:52:11,262 --> 00:52:15,131
Panama has become
very, very prosperous.

766
00:52:15,199 --> 00:52:20,102
(narrator)
The country has held
free elections with mostly

767
00:52:20,171 --> 00:52:22,905
stable democratic governments
since Noriega's arrest.

768
00:52:22,974 --> 00:52:26,775
The abuses of his rule

769
00:52:26,844 --> 00:52:30,513
have resulted in a landmark
constitutional change:

770
00:52:30,581 --> 00:52:34,483
the abolition
of the country's military.

771
00:52:34,552 --> 00:52:37,219
(Orlando J. Pérez)
That has been instrumental

772
00:52:37,288 --> 00:52:40,623
to democratic civilian control.

773
00:52:40,691 --> 00:52:45,895
The idea of a coup these days
is very far-fetched.

774
00:52:45,963 --> 00:52:48,531
[Rubén Dario Paredes
speaks in Spanish]

775
00:53:10,821 --> 00:53:12,254
(narra

776
00:53:19,597 --> 00:53:22,431
(man) To order "The Dictator's
Playbook" on DVD,

777
00:53:22,500 --> 00:53:24,767
visit shopPBS.org

778
00:53:24,835 --> 00:53:28,037
or call 1-800-PLAY-PBS.

779
00:53:28,105 --> 00:53:29,939
This program is also available

780
00:53:30,007 --> 00:53:31,607
on Amazon Prime Video.

781
00:53:34,679 --> 00:53:36,278
[synthesizer fanfare]