(2019-0148-F) Ernesto Balladeres

27 folders, approximately 3,999 electronic pages [1 DISC]

This collection consists of records with any mention of Ernesto Balladares or Manuel Noriega. It contains records form the Automated Records Management System emails of news wire stories, media summaries, news releases, press releases, transcripts of press briefings, and electronic newsletters.

The materials in FOIA 2019-0148-F are a selective body of documents responsive to the topic of the FOIA. Researchers should consult the archivist about related material. Manuel Noriega’s military career began as an officer under Omar Torrijos, Commander of the Panamanian National Guard. Torrijos, though never serving as president, became the “Maximum Leader” of Panama after a 1968 coup; under him, Noriega became the chief of military intelligence. After Torrijo’s sudden death in 1981, Noriega consolidated his power to become the General of Panama’s military, and used that power to control the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) becoming the de facto ruler of Panama. Ernesto Pérez Balladares served as the campaign manager for Carlos Duque, a pro– Manuel Noriega candidate, in the 1989 Panamanian presidential election. Though Duque lost, Noriega’s attempts to annul the election results and install a candidate from the PRD resulted in the United States invading Panama in December 1989, deposing Noriega and certifying Guillermo Endara as the winner of the election held months before. Noriega was captured as a prisoner of war and taken to the United States to stand trial for charges of drug trafficking, racketeering, and money laundering. He was convicted in 1992 and sentenced to 40 years in prison. When Balladares ran for President in 1994, the first truly democratic election since the coup in 1968, he distanced himself from his ties to Noriega, calling him an “opportunist, a traitor, and a disgrace to the country.”1 His efforts proved successful and he won the election. Balladares’ time in office saw the strengthening of ties to the United States and Panama’s entry into the World Trade Organization, as well as many unpopular actions like reforming Panama’s labor code and pardoning more than 200 Noriega– era criminals. Balladares attempted to amend Panama’s constitution to allow him to serve a second consecutive term in office, but the referendum was defeated. Martín Torrijos, the son of Omar Torrijos, was ultimately chosen by the PRD to run in the 1999 election. Although he was defeated, he went on to win in 2004. Materials responsive to this FOIA request include emails with any mention of Ernesto Balladares or Manuel Noriega. A search for Martin Torrijos returned only emails already processed for 2019-0147-F. Emails in this collection are almost entirely comprised of news wire stories, media summaries, news releases, press releases, transcripts of press briefings, electronic newsletters, and summaries of La Prensa, a conservative Panamanian newspaper that was critical of Ernesto Balladares’ administration.

Textual

Records that are responsive to this FOIA request were found in these collection areas—Clinton Presidential Records: ARMS Emails, and Clinton Presidential Records: TRP Emails. The Automated Records Management System (ARMS) is a database that contains email records of the Executive Office of the President. This system maintained unclassified Presidential email. The ARMS database is comprised of seven sub– series of email records called "buckets." The buckets generally represent a specific White House office. The buckets are titled: NPR for National Performance Review, OPD for Office of Policy Development, POTUS for President of the United States, WHO for White House Office, CEA for Council of Economic Advisers, NSC for National Security Council, and Default for emails not associated with an office. The NPR bucket contains email created or received by an individual with a National Performance Review (NPR) White House user account. The OPD bucket contains email created or received by an individual with an Office of Policy Development (OPD) White House user account. The POTUS bucket was designated for email created and received by the President of the United States (POTUS). Please note that President Clinton never used his POTUS White House user account to send the few emails he wrote while in office. The WHO bucket contains email created or received by an individual with an Executive Office of the President White House user account not identified as CEA, NPR, or OPD. The CEA bucket contains email created or received by an individual with a Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) White House user account. The NSC bucket contains email created or received by an individual with a National Security Council (NSC) user account. The Default bucket contains email created or received by unknown or un– recognized email accounts. Email found within the Default bucket often includes email created or received by offices or individuals outside the Executive Office of the President. ARMS email are arranged by topic, there– under by bucket, and there– under chronologically by creation date. 1 French, Howard W. (February 21, 1994). Panama Journal; Democracy at Work, Under Shadow of Dictators. New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.webcitation.org/mainframe.php The Tape Restoration Project (TRP) is a database consisting of restored emails from the Automated Records Management System (ARMS) from July 1994 through June of 2000. The TRP is a database that contains email records of the Executive Office of the President. This system maintained unclassified Presidential record email. The TRP database is comprised of the same seven sub– series of email as in ARMS. TRP email are arranged by topic, there– under by bucket, and there– under chronologically by creation date.

Collection is open to all researchers. Access to Clinton Presidential Records is governed by the Presidential Records Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. Chapter 22, as amended) and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552, as amended) and therefore records may be restricted in whole or in part in accordance with legal exemptions.

Official records of William Jefferson Clinton’s presidency are housed at the Clinton Presidential Library and administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) under the provisions of the Presidential Records Act (PRA).

Staff Archivist, 2019. Previously restricted materials are added as they are released.

The following is a list of documents and folders processed in response to FOIA 2019– 0148– F:
Clinton Presidential Records: Automated Records Management System [Email]
OPD [OA/ID 250000]
[Balladares]
[10/29/1999]
WHO [OA/ID 500000]
[Balladares]
[07/11/1994 – 07/16/1997]
[01/26/1998 – 12/15/1999]
Default [OA/ID 1100000]
[Balladares]
[06/09/1994 – 10/12/1994]
[04/20/1995 – 06/06/1997]
[06/10/1997 – 02/04/1998]
[06/08/1998 – 01/19/2000]
WHO [OA/ID 500000]
[Noriega]
[04/25/1994 – 10/29/1997]
[11/16/1997 – 02/12/1999]
[03/05/1999 – 12/14/1999]
[12/16/1999 – 03/09/2000]
[03/22/2000 – 12/19/2000]
CEA [OA/ID 950000]
[Noriega]
[09/25/2000 – 01/18/2001]
Default [OA/ID 1100000]
[Noriega]
[01/05/1994 – 02/14/1994]
[02/14/1994 – 03/31/1994]
[04/05/1994 – 05/31/1994]
[06/15/1994 – 04/13/1998]
[07/22/1998 – 08/05/1999]
[08/10/1999 – 08/27/1999]
[11/15/1999]
[11/25/1999 – 12/20/2000]
Clinton Presidential Records: Tape Restoration Project (TRP) [Email]
WHO [OA/ID 500000]
[Balladares]
[03/03/1998]
Default [OA/ID 1100000]
[Balladares]
[11/11/1997 – 04/28/1998]
[05/06/1998 – 09/03/1998]
WHO [OA/ID 500000]
[Noriega]
[6/11/1998]
Default [OA/ID 1100000]
[Noriega]
[04/22/1997 – 04/07/1998]
[11/03/1998 – 05/04/1999]