For almost a decade, Manuel Noriega was the face of the corrupt Panama government. He was first an ally to the United States, working for the CIA. He then became the country’s enemy as the United States drove him out of his control over Panama’s puppet government in 1990.
Even though he was born to a poor family in Panama City, Manuel Antonio Noriega received a privileged level of education. He was educated at the National Institute, one of Panama’s leading high school, to train him in the field of medicine. In college, he attended the Chorrios Military Academy in Peru under a scholarship and graduated with an engineering degree in 1962. In 1967, he trained for intelligence and counterintelligence in Panama under the U.S. Army’s Fort Gulick. He also took a course at Fort Bragg in North Carolina for psychological operations. From the late 1950’s, he worked with the CIA as an informant, …show more content…
However, the United States considered Barletta as a person of great value and his dismissal led to the downward spiral of U.S. relationship with Noriega. At this time, suspicions of Noriega’s illegal activities which included drug dealing, gun smuggling, money laundering, murder, and selling classified CIA information to Cuban and Eastern European governments, are already surfacing. In 1987, an interview with Colonel Roberto Diaz Herrera revealed the string of Noriega’s wrongdoings including his involvement in Torrijos’ death, the killing of Spadafora, rigging of the 1984 election results, as well as his involvement in other killings and tortures. This led to a public outcry and rallies led by the Civic Crusade, a group which publicly opposed Noriega and demanded his release. As a response, Noriega declared a national emergency and suspended constitutional rights. Political enemies were put into exile and rallies were brutally
Even though he was born to a poor family in Panama City, Manuel Antonio Noriega received a privileged level of education. He was educated at the National Institute, one of Panama’s leading high school, to train him in the field of medicine. In college, he attended the Chorrios Military Academy in Peru under a scholarship and graduated with an engineering degree in 1962. In 1967, he trained for intelligence and counterintelligence in Panama under the U.S. Army’s Fort Gulick. He also took a course at Fort Bragg in North Carolina for psychological operations. From the late 1950’s, he worked with the CIA as an informant, …show more content…
However, the United States considered Barletta as a person of great value and his dismissal led to the downward spiral of U.S. relationship with Noriega. At this time, suspicions of Noriega’s illegal activities which included drug dealing, gun smuggling, money laundering, murder, and selling classified CIA information to Cuban and Eastern European governments, are already surfacing. In 1987, an interview with Colonel Roberto Diaz Herrera revealed the string of Noriega’s wrongdoings including his involvement in Torrijos’ death, the killing of Spadafora, rigging of the 1984 election results, as well as his involvement in other killings and tortures. This led to a public outcry and rallies led by the Civic Crusade, a group which publicly opposed Noriega and demanded his release. As a response, Noriega declared a national emergency and suspended constitutional rights. Political enemies were put into exile and rallies were brutally