The Ambassador (2005 film)

Synopsis

The film examines the career of John Negroponte, focusing primarily on his time as U.S. Ambassador to Honduras in the early 1980s. It brings to light the militaristic aspects of his service in the region in relation to the Reagan Doctrine. Interviews with numerous Central American human rights activists point to Negroponte’s alleged complicity in war crimes not only in his nation of diplomatic assignment, but also in neighboring El Salvador as a part of the Salvadoran Civil War and in Nicaragua as an aid to the Contras. The documentary covers forced disappearance as part of this involvement including the disappearance of 179 Hondurans and specific examples such as the case of Father James Carney, whose brother is interviewed. The film also contains interviews with former U.S. Ambassador to Honduras Jack R. Binns, Negroponte’s predecessor; indigenous Guatemalan activist Rigoberta Menchú, and Salvadoran bishop Medardo Gomez.