Operation Pantomime
Encyclopedia
Operation Pantomime according to a documentary elaborated by the Cuba
n ICAIC, was an operation undertaken by the government of the United States
with the intention of assassinating Colombia
n presidential candidate Jorge Eliécer Gaitán
in 1948 as a way to curb communist and leftwing influence in the region.
The documentary included taped excerpts of the interrogation of a man identified as John Mepples Espirito, who is presented as a former CIA agent captured in Cuba
during the 1960s.
During his interrogation, Espirito claims that the U.S. had tried and failed at either bribing or blackmailing Gaitán. Espirito says that he then traveled to Colombia as part of a team of U.S. agents that eventually contacted and used Colombian Juan Roa Sierra
in order to assassinate Gaitán on April 9, 1948.
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n ICAIC, was an operation undertaken by the government of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with the intention of assassinating Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n presidential candidate Jorge Eliécer Gaitán
Jorge Eliécer Gaitán
Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Ayala was a politician, a leader of a populist movement in Colombia, a former Education Minister and Labor Minister , mayor of Bogotá and one of the most charismatic leaders of the Liberal Party.He was assassinated during his second presidential campaign in 1948, setting off...
in 1948 as a way to curb communist and leftwing influence in the region.
The documentary included taped excerpts of the interrogation of a man identified as John Mepples Espirito, who is presented as a former CIA agent captured in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
during the 1960s.
During his interrogation, Espirito claims that the U.S. had tried and failed at either bribing or blackmailing Gaitán. Espirito says that he then traveled to Colombia as part of a team of U.S. agents that eventually contacted and used Colombian Juan Roa Sierra
Juan Roa Sierra
Juan Roa Sierra was a Colombian known for assassinating Colombian Liberal leader and presidential candidate Jorge Eliécer Gaitán on April 9, 1948. After he shot Gaitán three times, mortally wounding him, a mob chased him down and killed him...
in order to assassinate Gaitán on April 9, 1948.