Busy week, this 13th of October in 1994. Overthrow of the military rule of Raoul Cedras was complete with Cedras being escorted out of the country to exile in Panama with a million dollar plus cash bonus to leave, as well as guaranteed rental of his three houses for at least a year, presumably to U.S. personnel at a "fair market value" of between $4,000 and "several thousand" dollars a month for each.
Robert Berger (CBS News): “A chartered jet is now slowly rolling down the runway here at the airport at Port au Prince, carrying Cedras and his family and (General Philippe) Biamby, both men arrived under tight security in U.S. armored vehicles. They were ushered into the VIP lounge where they had a last meeting with the U.S. Ambassador. Then Cedras walked slowly with his family out to the aircraft. Both men wore blue suits and looked grim as they went into exile.”
The stage was then set for the return of Jean Bertrand Aristide, the democratically elected President, to resume power. Ironically, it would be Aristide's turn in the Lobster tank a few years later. Oh, that wacky CIA.
Meanwhile, the never ending saga of life in the Middle-East with an Israeli soldier hostage of the PLO, threatened with execution. The ongoing situation in Northern Ireland with new peace overtures. And Iraq-Kuwait border skirmishes threatening to heat up a new batch of confrontations. All in all, a fun day in a fun week.
And somehow we all (or most of us) survived.
