U.S. Invades Panama: Noriega Falls From Power

Manuel Noriega walked into the Vatican embassy in Panama City wearing his general''s uniform, requesting sanctuary from American forces that had been hunting him for three days. The apostolic nunciature was sovereign territory, protected by international law. U.S. soldiers could not enter without provoking a diplomatic crisis with the Holy See. So they surrounded the building and started playing music. Van Halen. The Clash. AC/DC. Guns N'' Roses. At maximum volume, around the clock, for ten days straight. Operation Nifty Package, as the military called it, turned psychological warfare into a playlist. The papal nuncio, Monsignor Jose Sebastian Laboa, complained bitterly about the noise. National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft later called it "a low moment in US Army history," describing the approach as silly, reproachable, and undignified. The broader invasion, Operation Just Cause, had begun on December 20, 1989, with 27,684 American troops striking targets across Panama. Official U.S. casualties were 23 soldiers killed. Panamanian military losses numbered around 150, with civilian casualties estimated at 500, though some human rights organizations put the figure significantly higher. Entire neighborhoods in Panama City, particularly El Chorrillo near Noriega''s headquarters, were destroyed. Noriega had been a CIA asset for two decades, receiving payments while simultaneously trafficking cocaine through Panama and sharing intelligence with Cuba. He knew where American secrets were buried in Central America. When he surrendered on January 3, 1990, the United States promised him a civilian trial rather than summary military justice. He was convicted of drug trafficking in a Miami federal court and served seventeen years in American prison, followed by extradition to France and then Panama. The man who had been Washington''s most useful dictator died in Panamanian custody in 2017.