Evening star., 1942-01-18
Panama S NewChief
Works Diligently
To Gain Solidarity.
Relationship With U. S.
At Its Best in History,
Ambassador Asserts
BY NAT A. BARROWS,
Correspondent OF The Star


PANAMA CITY, Jan. lit was
happy day for the defenders OF
the Panama Canal when DR.. Arnulfo
Arias' ambitions for tropical en-
pire crumpled under him like a
house undermined by termites. The
misguided DR.. Arias sits dejectedly
in exile now while his successor as
Panama's President cleans house
from cellar to attic and works
diligently to make Panama a good
war helpmate to the United States
and the Allies.
No offcer of the Caribbean de-
fense command wants to think
about the annoying problems that
might have been dumped in their
laps in these war days If the tall
and handsome Harvard medical
school graduate, still were running
Panama as he pleased. They had a
year OF DR.. Arias' arbitrary edicts, a
year of his pressure tactics and his
increasing demands on the United
States, and they could see the
storm clouds of real trouble cominc
over the horizon. The prospects of
flVe more years under the Arias'
adaptation as a totalitarian regime
was hardly comforting to Canal
military men.
But little could they do in face
OF the many possibilities for upset.
ting the diplomatic protocol and
bringing hemisphere cries of in
reference on the United States
They had to wait and hope for a
break.
Came Without Warning.
And the break came without
warning. One October morning
Arnulfo gaily flew out Of Albrook
Field for another round of Cuban
night life-but without permission
to leave the country which his own
carefully rigged constitution re-
quired. 1t was all over in a few
hours. Several telephone calls. a
meeting, a vote, provisional Presi-
dent for an afternoon, and the SOW
ereign Republic of Panama had as
its constitutional President a cab
met officer, Ricardo Adolfo de La
Guardia.
The playboy medico- President
came home, but too late. He was
lucky to be allowed to fly to Mica
ragua-an exile. Costa Rica did
not want him, and now he has set up
practice as surgeon in Mexico. His
fantastic dreams turned into night
mares.
President de La Guardia has had
three months and more for his
house cleaning. What is his record
to date? How does the relationship
between Panama. one-time province
OF Colombia. and the United States,
owner of the canal which cuts a
slice through the middle of this
younger Latin American nation,
stand?
Friendly Relationship,
No one certainly is better able to
answer than United States Am
bassador Edwin c. Wilson, who was
brought up from Montevideo nearly
year ago as State Department
trouble-shooter. to put it bluntly.
Ambassador Wilson has told your
correspondent that he feels the re-
lationship Of the two countries has
never been more friendly in all
their history.
Mr.. Wilson's opinion is that the
new Panama government could not
possibly be more cooperative and
more anxious to carry its share of
the war burden or more eager to
facilitate the defense of the Canal
and outlying areas. He told me
that De La Guardia and his govern
ment are proceeding on most
friendly terms, with discussions
about leases of certain interior and
coastal bases, many Of which are
already occupied and ready for
action. There is every indication
that the final terms will be as
reasonable as Arias' demands were
unreasonable.
1t is clearly evident that the Am
bassador's job here is vastly more
congenial than when he first came
ana II is just as evident that
Panama Is trying to show In every
way that she is good neighbor and
a good landlady.
Tone Is Different.
A year ago Arias told your cor
respondent that the DESTINY of
Panama lies with the United States
and I would be a fool if I did not
realize it, Well, there are plenty
of people here to offer their evidence
that he did not realize it.
De La Guardia says essentially the
same thing, but his tone is different.
And he really smiles when he saws
1t. No one here, or in the Canal
Zone, has the slightest doubt of
his sincerity. Even the Japs and
the Germans, sitting in the con-
centration camp over there at the
Pacific mouth of the Canal, would be
hard put to find way to discredit
the present relationship between the
United States and Panama.
tCopyright, 1912, Chicago Daily News, Inc