Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-01-11

between the two nations ever since
independence In 1908. The crux of
ton and control of zone miles
wide on each side Of the proposed
canal route, and within this zone
the exclusive right to exercize SOW
ereign power and authority. The
cities Of Panama and Colon were to
remain in Panamanian territory, but
certain Jurisdiction was granted US
there and elsewhere, notably Is re-
CARDS health and sanitation. In re-
turn for these grants, the United
States paid Panama q lump sum OF
SIC, 900 900 and $25o,000 yearly after
nine years had elapsed.
Canal Is an Industry
Obviously the new Republic OF
Panama was not only our creation
but was destined to be very largely
our creature. It's economic depend
ence upon us became more and
more marked as the gigantic task of
canal digging got under way. 1t, is
no exaggeration to say that the
Canal is Panama's unique industry,
the source Of livelihood, directly or
indirectly, for the great majority OF
its inhabitants, who, incidentally,
number only trifle over 600, 900.
Without the Canal, Panamas eco
nomic life would drop almost to
zero.
Yet, human nature being what 1t
is, the very extremity Of Panama's
dependence upon 1.-THE Colossus OF
the North" tends to make us un-
popular. Despite the legality Of our
perpetual control over the Canal
Zone, the average Panamanian re-
CARDS it as an alien enclave which
splits his country in twain and i'm
pinges upon the theoretical sover-
eighty of the republic in many
ways. We naturally run the canal
as we see fit, and the Panamanians
do not enter the picture except in
a subsidiary way. Few Panama
mans could qualify for jobs above
the lower grades. Even their COM
mon labor is not as efficient as West
Indian Negroes, who have been i'm
ported into the Zone by the Canal
authorities in large numbers, much
to the ire of the Panamanians. AS
for personal relations, Americans
and Panamanians have so little in
common that they socially do not
mix well. These and other factors
are sources Of chronic friction which
feed the touchy nationalism devel-
oped by the Panamanian people and
engender among them q widespread
inferiority complex.
1t is these emotional feelings
which have just expressed them
selves emphatically in what amounts
to a popular defiance Of us, no mat
ter how irrational and how con-
trary to their best interests this
defiance may be.
Panama Within Her RIGHTS
Since there is no feasible way of
solving Immediately this complex
psychological problem, what is the
best way of dealing with the mill
tary difficulties involved in Panama
MAN recalcitrance? For the moment,
our prompt withdrawal from the
airbases denied us seems to be the
sensible thing to do. Panama was
within its legal rights in refusing
them to us, and a cardinal principle
in our foreign policy is respect for
the sovereignty of even the smallest
and weakest nation.
Yet the resulting situation is
potentially a dangerous one for US,
especially in so critical a juncture
in world affairs When we made
our agreement with Panama in 1903,
a 10-mile-wide zone, together with
control over the Canal approaches,
afforded ample protection against
attack. But the air age necessitates
a network of bases far beyond that
zonal strip. And the Gripping OF
the Canal by enemy attack would be
a major blow to our national
defense.
OF course, In the last analysis, we
could easily bring Panama to terms.
Merely declaring its territory "out
of bounds" for our garrison troops
and civilian personnel would quickly
bring on ruinous depression. That,
however, would injure us through
out Latin America and be seized
upon by Communist propaganda.
Perhaps 1t is time to invoke pam
American action. Every country In
the Western Hemisphere is vitality
concerned with the safety of the
Panama Canal. A legal basis for
such action already exists in the
Defense Pact of Rio
and the setting up of an Inter-
Staff Committee to con-
slider overall hemisphere strategy.
All enlarging of Canal defense
could broaden the
moral sanction of our position at
Panama and render our status
there less unilateral as regards the
Panamanians, even though we
would continue to play the major
part in the Canals defense and
effective control.
Alternate Route Open
This current flareup suggests an
even broader consideration. Some
experts fear that the Canal
could not be made invulnerable to
air attack, even though we had all ,
the bases we now desire. Such
critics therefore suggest developing
an alternative water route through
which might be more
defensible and would not involve
costs. There has even !
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