Torrijos was considered by Washington as a ‘leftist who was too dangerous for the security of Central America.’ At that time, the new Reagan administration felt like Torrijos would not cooperate with Washington in the Sandinista conflict of Nicaragua.
“If you become an obstacle for the CIA, they simply eliminate you. Period!” said Diaz. He later stated that prior to his death, Torrijos was visited by a US intelligence operative, who asked him to be cooperative with Washington and in exchange, his country would not be in any economic problems. According to Diaz, Torrijos refused. He told the operative “I’m not against your country, but I will not accept your impositions. I’m a man of my own decisions. You tell your people that,” he allegedly said.
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