On December 24, Delta Force had received a tip that Noriega was en route to the Nunciature, and was speeding through the air in six Black Hawks hoping to intercept the blue all-terrain vehicle carrying Noriega when they were told they were too late. Instead of capturing the dictator, they landed two helicopters on Avenida Balboa, the main street in front of the Nunciature. They were quickly joined by Armored Personnel Carriers, who pointed their .50 caliber machine guns outward to deter a rescue attempt by Noriega loyalists. Military police arrived and cordoned off the area with concertina wire.
In Washington, Secretary Cheney told Powell “Don’t let that guy out of the compound.” The State Department immediately informed the Vatican of the situation and requested it deny political asylum to Noriega. Since most of the Vatican hierarchy were about to celebrate Midnight Mass at Saint Peter’s, State did not receive an immediate response. However, on Christmas Day, the papal secretary of state responded to Secretary Baker’s request for Noriega’s release with a polite but firm refusal. A Church spokesman explained that Noriega was being urged to leave of his own free will, but “At the same time, we cannot force Noriega to leave nor . . . can we consign him to U.S. forces, which would be a decision against international law.”
On Christmas morning, General Thurman spoke personally with Monsignor Laboa at the gate of the Nunciature. American officers noticed that the third floor balcony of the Holiday Inn, less than 100 yards away, was filled with reporters, many of whom held long boom mikes directed at the Nunciature. Fearing they would use them to eavesdrop on either the negotiations or internal U.S. military discussions, General Thurman ordered loudspeakers be directed to create a sound barrier around the Nunciature.
In what would become one of the more comically surreal aspects of the Noriega manhunt, on December 27 the 4th Psychological Operations Group went to work. As Delta commander Jerry Boykin recalled: “Being twenty-year olds, the psy-ops guys started playing loud rock music. Really loud.” As the music blared around the clock, it became apparent it could also be used to keep Noriega – a reported opera aficionado – in a state of agitation. Consequently, the 4th Psy Ops utilized a playlist heavy on ironically titled songs such as “Voodoo Child,” “You’re No Good,” and “I Fought the Law.” Thurman embraced the tactic, proudly telling reporters “I am the music man.” However, the noise drove the Nunciatura staff crazy, keeping Laboa and others awake. (Noriega later claimed he could not hear the music). On December 29, Laboa insisted the music stop, and on day three of the operation a White House directive not to “make things any more difficult or unpleasant for Monsignor Laboa than necessary” led Powell to order Thurman to turn off the music. The music was replaced by Spanish language reports carrying stories of the surrender of the PDF in outlying areas in order to demoralize Noriega.
No comments:
Post a Comment