I have been known to insert my foot in my mouth on occasion. But this was a doozy…
Day 2 of our search for Noriega was uneventful. While one of the search teams found $5.8 million in cash at another Noriega residence, the man was not to be seen. So, it was time to get out and start “pounding the pavement” in search of leads. Numerous officers and aides were interviewed over the next couple of days, all with similar results – none could/would provide information regarding Noriega’s whereabouts. But one of the interviews turned out to be interesting – it didn’t provide us clues on the whereabouts of the General, but it did teach me a lesson or two about dealing with people.
The interview in question was with one of Noriega’s 3 official girlfriends. While Noriega was married, he also had what were referred to as his 3 official girlfriends. These differed from the numerous other women with whom he slept by the fact that he often appeared with these women at parties or other somewhat public events. While Noriega’s wife knew about the three girlfriends, she did not take kindly to them – rumor has it that she actually sliced one of the girl’s faces with a razor blade. But in my case, the woman that we interviewed was a beautiful former Miss Panama.
The interview took place in a clothing store in an upscale neighborhood of Panama City. The young lady was very pleasant and responded to all of our questions completely and openly, and demonstrated a friendly demeanor throughout the conversation. While the interview itself shed no light on finding Noriega, fireworks went off as we got up to leave.
As has often been the case during my career (and life), I couldn’t keep my mouth shut, and asked one final question. I asked her what a good-looking woman like her was doing with an ugly, sweaty, older man like Noriega (those of you that have seen the photos, know what I mean). Her demeanor changed instantly, becoming much harder and indignant. And that’s when this young lady ate me for lunch. While I don’t recall what was said word for word, it went something like this:
“I’m very grateful to the General. I was a poor young girl from the slums of Curundú. The General found me and turned me into Miss Panama. I traveled the world with the General, always staying in the finest hotels and eating at the best restaurants. I sat with Presidents and Kings. I went to places and saw things that I never could have dreamed of. I bought a house for my mother and one for myself. I bought this store that we are standing in. I bought a car. I am financially independent. I owe all of this to the General. And all I had to do was to close my eyes and open my legs for 15 minutes every couple of weeks. And you have the balls to ask me why I was with the General?”
Needless to say, there were no further questions.
On day 5 of the invasion, Noriega showed up at the entrance to the Holy See in Panama, which is the equivalent of the Vatican embassy, where he was provided refuge. On January 2, 1990, Manuel Antonio Noriega exited the Holy See and turned himself over to the U.S. authorities, where he was placed under arrest by DEA agents and transported to Miami the following day to face charges.