Date

Oct 5, 1989

Description

This memorandum summarizes some of the “lessons learned” after a failed coup against Noriega that fizzled in part due to U.S. soldiers’ hesitance to accept custody of Noriega from the coup plotters (See Document 13). In an attached Q&A paper prepared for Deputy National Security Adviser Robert Gates, it is confirmed that “the rebels had physical control of Noriega” when they offered him to U.S. forces.

Source

George H. W. Bush Presidential Library, National Security Council H-Files, NSC/DC Meetings Files, Folder, “NSC/DC 062 - October 06, 1989 - NSC/DC Meeting on Panama.”

Document published in following posting(s):

Imperial Prerogative: How the Panama Invasion and the “Barr Doctrine” Set the Stage for the Maduro “Snatch” Operation

Jan 16, 2026

William T. Pryce, National Security Council, Memorandum for Robert Gates, Deputy National Security Adviser, “Panama Coup Lessons Learned,” with attached Q&A paper on “Questions Posed by Mr. Gates During White House NSC Deputy’s [sic] Committee Meeting,” October 5, 1989