Evening star., 1941-10-16
Hull Denies Custer
OF Arias Was Work
0fU. ). Government
Coils Article 'WiIIful
Untruth';; Shipstead
Sees Implication
By the Associated Press.

SSS9 Ihkf'S0s'Sh
By the Associated Press.
Secretary of State Hull assailed
today as unfair tactics" what he
characterized as attempts to make
political capital out of the recent
events in Panama
Lest any individual be misled by
such unfair tactics the Secretary
said in a formal statement. Il state
clearly and categorically for the rec
ord that the United States Govern
ment has had no connection. direct
or indirect, with the recent govern
mental changes in the Republic of
Panama
Mr.. Hull was moved to issue his
statement by charges in some quar-
tiers that the United States en-
gineered the sudden removal of Ar
nulfo Arias from the presidency of
Panama.
Shipstead Makes Charge.
Earlier in the day Senator Ship
stead. Republican. of Minnesota ac-
cused officials of this country OF en-
gineering the presidential turnover
and said that he feared this would
"arouse suspicious of all South
American republics"
The Minnesota Senator said in an
interview that he believed United
States officials encouraged the un-
seating of President AriaS when the
executive protested against arming
of American-owned vessels reg
iStered under the Panamanian flag.
Without identifying it in his
statement, Secretary Hull said one
published article was particularly
offensive in its "Wllful misrepre-
sentatiOnS.'
Without any attempt to verify
the facts or even to consult with
the competent officials of this Gov
ernment the writer Of this article
presumed to place in question the
good faith of the United States
Government" he said.
Calls Article "Deplorable."
att is deplorable that untrue state
ments of this character should ap-
pear in print, particularly when they
are Of a character to undermine our
national reputation and give aid and
comfort to forces inimlcal to the
United States The matters touched
upon in this case are so important,
and affect so vitally the faith and
integrity of the United States. that
7 do not feel that I can properly let
them pass unnoticed.
Il refer, of course. to the attempt
which is being made TO make po-
litical capital out of the recent
events in Panama
In ampliication of these remarks
the Secretary included in his state
ment summary of the official tele-
graphic reports from the United
States Embassy at Panama during
the shift of Presidents.
This summary showed that on Oc-
tober brief message was re-
ceived from Ambassador Edwin C..
Wilson to the effect that he had
received information from reliable
sources indicating strong dissatis-
faction with President Arias and
the possibility of some move against
the government.
On the same day information was
received that a passenger listed as
"a. Madrid" who waas travelling by
plane 20 Havana was in fact Mr..
Arias
Coup Reported October 9.
On october 9 Ambassador Wilson
reported he had been informed by
Panamanian government officials
that leaders of the government had
decided to take over and were in
terested in knowing how the United
States would react to this move.
Mr.. Wilson called the attention
of his lnformantS to the United
States policy of refraining from
interfering in the internal affairs
of other American republics and,
the statement added, emphasized
that he would not depart from this
policy regardless of what advan-
tages political change might seem
to offer the United States.
Later. when it appeared that con-
stitutional procedure had been fol-
lowed in the ouSting of Mr.. Arias
and the selection of a new Presi-
dent, the Embassy was said to have
felt that the only course to take
was to continue diplomatic relations
with the Panamanian government
on normal basis.
Spoke Before Hull.
When Senator Shipstead made
his statements. before Hull spoke,
he said he assumed the interefer-
ence reports were true because they
"have not been denied"
apparently the present admins
tration has done to Panama Just
what Teddy Roosevelt did to Co.
lombia in order to get land for the
Panama Canal" said Shipstead, a
member of the Senate Foreign Re-
lations Committee. He said that
the first Roosevelt stirred up trouble
in what is now Panama in order to
get land for the Canal.
The Panamanian Embassy said in
a statement that it had received in
structions from the Panamanian
government to deny any statements
tending to imply that recent po-
litical Developments in the Re-
public Of Panama were engineered
by any foreign government" 1t
said the changes were due ex-
clusively to the independent action
of panamanian noliticol ororne