The Pocket with Chris Griffin #109: Inside the Mind of a Dictator’s Right-Hand Man (Cillian Dunne)
Nov 7, 2025
Cillian Dunne, an author and long-form journalist who lived with Manuel Noriega’s right-hand man, shares gripping insights from his time in Panama. He discusses the moral complexities of living alongside a trained assassin and how trust was earned through shared secrets. Cillian dives into the U.S.'s role in supporting and later dismantling its own dictator, revealing dark partnerships and hidden motives of power. His personal journey of overcoming poverty to pursue storytelling adds a powerful layer to the conversation about conviction and courage in the face of global corruption.
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A Panic Photo That Changed Everything
- On day three Cillian panicked, photographed himself as a record-if-things-go-wrong snapshot and felt genuinely terrified.
- That low point became the turning point where Carlos started sharing deeper secrets.
When Allies Become Liabilities
- The U.S. used Panamanian strongmen as regional assets during the Cold War, then later turned on them when convenient.
- Cillian frames Noriega as a U.S.-backed tool who became expendable once interests changed.
The Mysterious Death Before Noriega
- Cillian recounts Torrijos negotiating the 1977 Panama Canal treaty and then dying mysteriously in a 1981 plane crash.
- He relates local conspiracy theories and claims that Noriega benefited from Torrijos’s death.
