On December 19, 1989, U.S. troops invaded Panama with the stated purpose of ousting the man the media loved to hate, General
Manuel Noriega.
Noriega was once a close ally to Washington and was once on the CIA payroll. After 1986, Noriega’s relationship with
Washington took a turn for the worse. The Irancontra scandal forced three of his closest U.S. ties to leave the government.
U.S. foreign policy quickly shifted against and Noriega went from friend to foe.
During the attack, the U.S. unleashed a force of 24,000 troops equipped with highly sophisticated weaponry and aircraft
against a country with an army smaller than the New York City Police Department.
But the mainstream media failed to uncover the hidden reasons for this internationally condemned attack.
The Panama Deception provides analysis of U.S. relations with Panama and a devastating critique of the mainstream
media and its complicity with the official government line.
The documentary uncovers the hidden reasons for the attack and examines how the Bush-Cheney-Powell team used Panama to
prepare for the future Iraq invasions.
The Panama Deception documents the untold story of the December 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama; the events which
led to it; the excessive force used; the enormity of the death and destruction; and the devastating aftermath. The Panama
Deception uncovers the real reasons forthis internationally condemned attack, presenting a view of the invasion which widely
differs from that portrayed by the U.S. media and exposes how the U.S. government and the mainstream media suppressed information
about this foreign policy disaster.
The Panama Deception includes never before seen footage of the invasion and its aftermath, as well as interviews
with both invasion proponents like Gen. Maxwell Thurman, Panamanian President Endara and Pentagon spokesperson Pete Williams,
and opponents like U.S. Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY.), Panamanian human rights workers Olga Mejia and Isabel Corro
and former Panamanian diplomat Humberto Brown. Network news clips and media critics contribute to a staggering analysis of
media control and self censorship relevant to any news coverage today, particularly during times of war.
Produced and directed by Barbara Trent, The Panama Deception was banned in Panama but it won an Oscar here in
1992 for Best Documentary as well as numerous other awards.
stream video 1:31:10, press play to start
Source:
video.google.com
The Panama Invasion was also issue of a 2 hour show on June 13, 2003 at Democracy NOW:
video.google.com
