America's Prisoner: The Memoirs of Manuel Noriega [Hardcover]

Peter Eisner (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 11, 1997

Important messages sometimes come from unlikely messengers. Manuel Noriega may be a demon in the eyes of most Americans, but he has a unique and alarming view of the reasons behind the U.S. invasion of Panama. His book is certain to be one of the most newsworthy and controversial events of the year, containing revelations about dealings with George Bush, Oliver North, William Casey and the CIA, Jimmy Carter, Fidel Castro, and Moammar Quadafi.

Noriega's story was independently investigated by Peter Eisner, a top foreign correspondent who has reported on Latin America for more than twenty years. Eisner's reporting confirms many of Noriega's assertions and provides additional perspective on his conduct as head of Panama's military, his relations with key U.S. officials, and the damage inflicted upon the people of Panama by the U.S. invasion. Eisner's reporting raises new questions about allegations that Noriega was a drug dealer, a murderer, and a thief.

America's Prisoner is one of the most unusual and important accounts ever written about U.S. aggression and duplicity. It's the story of how we have imprisoned a man -- and a nation.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Like Muammar al-Qaddafi and Saddam Hussein, Manuel Noriega is vilified by the United States like few other statesmen (or ex-statesmen). Now Noriega has a chance to counter the charges leveled against him in America's Prisoner: The Memoirs of Manuel Noriega. As a former friend of the CIA, Noriega has a unique perspective on U.S. involvement in Latin America, and he has a heap of dirty laundry he's more than willing to air. From his prison cell in Miami, America's only prisoner of war expounds on such topics as his covert dealings with CIA agents, his relationship with high government officials such as George Bush and Oliver North, the U.S. invasion of Panama, and his own drug charges. Helping his cause is Peter Eisner, a former foreign editor and Latin American correspondent for Newsday, who calls in question many of the charges against Noriega while admitting the extreme unpopularity of the man. Brazen and controversial, America's Prisoner is an account of U.S. foreign policy from one who has been on both sides of the political fence.

From Library Journal

General Noriega, the Panamanian leader the Bush administration captured and put on trial after invading the country in December 1989, provides his own account from federal prison of the events leading up to his capture and trial and the twisted logic of the United States in embarking on its invasion strategy. This is not a complete or objective memoir, but as suggested by coauthor Eisner, a well-informed journalist of the region, it demonstrates repeated weaknesses, fabrications, and distortions in the government's case against Noriega and, perhaps more important, reveals unpleasant insights into the way many Americans continue to view Panama and our foreign policy initiatives in the region. A controversial and revealing portrait of the United States from a Latin American perspective.
-?Roderic A. Camp, Latin American Ctr., Tulane Univ., New Orleans
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 293 pages
• Publisher: Random House; 1st edition (March 11, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679432272
• ISBN-13: 978-0679432272
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #858,040 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Lessons about U.S. imperialism October 18, 2003

By Malvin VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

"The Memoirs of Manuel Noriega: America's Prisoner" by Manuel Noriega with commentary and analysis by Peter Eisner is an important story. It holds lessons about U.S. imperialism and the demonization of its supposed enemies -- lessons that, unfortunately, appear to have been largely overlooked by the American public. Indeed, the template for the exercise of U.S. power by the elder Bush against Noriega in Panama as described in this book seems to have been knowingly employed by the younger Bush against Saddam in Iraq.

Given the demonization of Noriega in the U.S. media, one may be surprised but nonetheless impressed with Noriega's personal values as they are expressed in this book. Noriega's support of policies that began with the Torrijos administration on raising living standards among the nation's poor seems to be sincere; no doubt this is connected with his Catholic faith and his familiarity with the Bible, which is quoted in several places in the book. Noriega also writes fondly about his career in the Panamanian military and the honor, discipline and professionalism associated with this career and the duties he performed on behalf of his country. Overall, while Noriega does not appear to be a saint he does seem to be a healthy, balanced and moral person.

I think that Noriega's contention that he became a marked man due to his insistence on Panamanian soveriegnty is credible. To his credit, Noriega never bought into Cold War ideology, choosing instead to provide safe haven for political refugees of all stripes and to open up channels of communication with Fidel Castro and others. Yet despite years of friendly relations with the U.S.... and cooperation with the CIA, his decision to open talks with the Japanese about a new canal combined with his refusal to cooperate with Ollie North's illegal "contra" war in Nicaragua proved to be too much for the White House.

If Noriega ever did commit a crime that could possibly justify a full-scale invasion, it is also true that the drug conviction against him is highly suspect. The chapters that discuss the dirty dealings with Colombian drug cartels in securing the conviction is very disturbing. On the other hand, the fact that drug shipments increased in the absence of Noriega provides credence to the author's contention that the Panamanian Defense Forces cooperated in the war on drugs during Noriega's tenure.

Last but certainly not least, the horrible consequences of the war on the innocent Panamanian people are discussed. Clearly, it was unneccesary to use such overwhelming force against a peaceful country in the midst of its Christmas celebrations. Noriega's blistering comments about the leading protagonists of the war -- including Colin Powell and George Bush Sr. -- may cause consternation among some Americans; but on balance the General's narrative is remarkably restrained. Indeed, the book is a cautionary tale of powerlessness and how a small nation and its leaders have few options available once regime change has been deemed desirable by the U.S. government. The sad part, of course, is that thousands of innocent civilians had to pay for these policies with their lives (not to mention the countless others who have been left with the shattered remains of their bombed-out communities).

In my view, recent events in Iraq, Venezuela, Colombia and elsewhere makes it more important than ever for Americans to gain greater perspective on the consequences of U.S. foreign policy. To that end, "America's Prisoner" is a superbly readable, provocative and informative book that deserves a wide audience. I highly recommend it to all. Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Hobo Philosopher November 26, 2010

By Richard E. Noble VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

The Memoirs of Manuel Noriega

America's Prisoner

Manuel Noriega and Peter Eisner

Book Review

By Richard E. Noble

The basic premise of this book is that Manuel Noriega was forced out of his leadership role in Panama via a clandestine war of pre-emptive aggression due to his refusal to cooperate with the Reagan/Bush administration in their contrived Contra war against the Ortega Government in Nicaragua.

The book is elaborate in its details. It is filled with specific names, places, events and dates. If this is the actual writing of Manuel Noriega he is obviously an informed and educated individual. But it is difficult to separate the American Journalist, Peter Eisner, from the text.

This book seems to me to be an attempt to place information in the public record, in an organized manner, much like a legal brief, for the purposes of posterity. One day, it would be the hope of the writers of this text that the times would change for the better and this information could stand as a record of the truth of the invasion of Panama and the Noriega affair.

Is the case and information credible?

I am not an expert on South America but I have read about the Iran/Contra fiasco. I have read about the Reagan/Bush administrations. I've read the Ollie North rendition. I've read several books on different political situations in South America - some right, some left. Judging from my reading to date I would have to say that the account rendered in this text is consistent with the relevant history that I have read thus far. It is very credible. After all, the events of Iran/Contra led to the guilty convictions of many of those involved in the Reagan/Bush administration. So we know of that crime.... As far as Reagan is concerned, we do not know conclusively his degree of involvement. But that it all happened and the U.S. involvement was illegal is factual.

The other issue is the drug charges against Noriega. In reviewing the tactics used to convict and the testimony of those involved in the prosecution, it is obvious that Sister Maria Teresa could also be convicted of drug trafficking by these methods. It is rather ridiculous. The judge involved is even quoted as saying that the legality of the trial is not as important as the conviction of such an evil man. The whole thing is reminiscent of the trial of IWW leaders and anarchist in the World War I period. It is all very suspicious to say the least.

Noriega does not shy from the fact that he was often working on behalf of the CIA in various exploits. In the trial these involvement were spun to his disadvantage and corroborated by convicted criminals who got reprieves from their jail time for their testimony. But there is much more in this book and it is all worse. Lady Justice is looking mighty abused in this case.

It is an involved book to read but whatever your background, I think the information supplied should be adequate to bring you to a similar conclusion.

Richard Edward Noble - The Hobo Philosopher - Author of:

"America on Strike" American Labor - History Read more ›

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Superficial and self serving April 10, 2003

By C. Jacobs

Format:Hardcover

This book is of interest because it tells another side of the story of Panama in the 80's. There's a lot of interesting information here. But while I find it almost unavoidable to conclude that American intervention in Panama was guided as much by political expediency and diplomatic incompetence as it was by noble ideals, that doesn't imply Noriega was clean. Sure, Bush, Cheney, Oliver North, Eliot Abrams, etc. were all crooked politicians. But Noriega's portrayal as himself as simply a Panamanian patriot who was destroyed by the USA for standing up to them doesn't hold water. Many controversial aspects of Noriega's reign are not mentioned (Noriega's superstition or alcohol abuse), glossed over (Spadafora killing) or implausibly denied (the fate of the Giroldi coup plotters). He very seldom admits mistakes and even then only half-heartedly ("We should have just cancelled the elections outright instead of waiting until the results were in to anull them") and never shows a trace of regret. The subject of democracy seldom comes up; all opposition to Noriega is characterized simply as the white power elite ("rabiblancos") and their status as pawns of the USA.

In short, the book is disappointing as it appears Noriega has not used his time in jail for serious, thoughtful introspection and analysis. It's not a truthful confession, or even an intersting autobiography; it's basically a defensive essay on the American invasion of 1989. Still it's worth reading as no doubt some of his accusations against the "wimp" Bush bear examination.