The Immaculate Deception

I once thought imperialism was a thing of the past, an uncivilized part of American history from which we had progressed. That is, until I saw The Panama Deception.

This documentary, released by the Empowerment Project, categorically dispels the myths of "Operation Just Cause," a tidy label for an ugly U.S. invasion of Panama, an assault that occurred only eight months before Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Barbara Trent and her producers report inescapable, disturbing facts that were left unreported when a superpower sent 26,000 troops to invade and occupy a Third World country, ostensibly to catch one man.

Was this a moral crusade to protect American lives and topple a drug-trafficking dictator? And was it another triumphant notch for U.S.-promoted democracy with low civilian casualties? Media reports filtered through the Pentagon stated these things, and most people in the country accepted them. Trent, however, would have us believe the invasion wasn't quite so clean and simple--in motive, in human consequence, and in future foreign policy implications with Panama and with the rest of the American continent.

Deception makes some rather shocking assertions. Why the military option, it asks, and why such an overwhelming proportion of soldiers and advanced weaponry? Trent claims two principal U.S. motives for the invasion: to wipe out the Panamanian Defense Forces in order to create a protection gap for the canal and a permanent U.S. military presence in Panama, and to overcome our president's image problem by showing brute strength and future military capability to a captive world audience.

With an established U.S. military presence, the Carter-inspired Panama Canal treaties of 1978--which give rightful ownership and control back to Panama and assure the closing of the 14 U.S. military bases by 2000--would be renegotiated. Trent alleges that Bush's portrayal of Noriega as the next Central American Hitler was merely a smoke screen for this underlying motive. A closer look at history (or the CIA payrolls in Noriega's case) shows once again that the U.S. government often creates, supports, and sustains dictators until it is within its best interests to demonize them.

Deception also refutes any remaining claims of a low civilian casualty count or petty structural damage caused by bombing attacks. Although the film, as well as U.N. statistics, cites civilian casualties of 2,500 to 4,000, with nearly 20,000 left homeless, a successful coverup keeps the precise numbers unknown. Graphic footage of common grave sites dug up by the families of victims (14 have been uncovered) and wandering, topographical air shots of black holes in highly populated barrios scream of human tragedy on a large scale. The audience is only increasingly provoked when the film carefully sprinkles interviews with a Pentagon spokesperson denying the evidence that unravels before their eyes.

The film makes it painfully obvious that the rhetoric of winning freedom and democracy for Panama was only a public rallying cry for massive support of Bush's operation. For a foreign government to destabilize a growing national movement, capture and jail its leader, hand pick another who kowtows to the wishes of that foreign government's policies, and then convince the public that their efforts are to re-establish democracy seems like a rather lofty quest. Unfortunately, it succeeded.

BY DISCLOSING THE TRUTH about the invasion, the film unabashedly exposes this country's censorship of the media. The viewer's trust in freedom of the press will be shaken by watching U.S. soldiers shoveling ashes of burned bodies into garbage bags, or nervously throwing their hands in front of television cameras as instructed in an effort to conceal the truth of a large death toll.

The actual theater experience feels like a grassroots gathering of political activists, with someone on hand to facilitate audience discussion after the movie to reflect and act on what you've seen. If you're feeling generous, come equipped with some cash because it is likely a representative will be soliciting funds for the next production.

Do not assume Trent's film is another Hollywood entertainment flick mixing fact with Oliver Stone-type conspiracy theory; it is a soundly compiled documentary depicting the true story of Panamanian suffering at the hands of an aggressive U.S. invasion. The previously classified camera footage, interviews, and conflicting Pentagon statements (obtained through the Freedom of Information Act) lay out the horrific tragedy of a carefully planned U.S. military operation.

With the exception of Carter, under presidents from Teddy Roosevelt to George Bush Panama has experienced only exploitive relations with the United States--policies void of a balance between the interests of both countries. So one question haunted me after watching this film: Will a Clinton administration act differently?

Jeff Shriver was editorial staff assistant of Sojourners when this review appeared.

The Panama Deception. Directed by Barbara Trent. Released by the Empowerment Project (1653 18th St. #3, Santa Monica, CA 90404; 310/828-8807). 1992.