David Bramhall: The story of the Panama Canal
Published: 01-30-2025 8:27 PM |
In 1903, Panama’s revolution from Colombia established Panama as a separate and sovereign nation. This allowed for the prompt agreement between the U.S. and Panama for the construction of the Panama Canal. Much of the skulduggery and backroom actions by the U.S. administration in concert with several financiers took place in Room 1162 in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City and led President Theodore Roosevelt to declare, “I took the Isthmus (of Panama) and let Congress debate.”
This declaration was obvious with the equally prompt agreement with the new Panamanian government for the rights to construct a canal by picking up the failed French efforts to do just that. And in August 1914, the canal opened and was operated by a U.S. Canal Commission. I went through the canal in 1955 aboard the USS Rolette.
It was a monumental task to create this wonder safely, especially given the health challenges. Yellow fever and injuries related to moving massive quantities of rock and soil had heretofore resulted in many deaths. But the protections the U.S. put in place caused a most significant drop in such deaths, limiting the total to fewer than 6,000, not the 38,000 recently put forth.
Following World War II, the United States led the formation of the United Nations, of which both Panama and the U.S. were founding members. Member states are recognized as sovereign nations. And in 1977, the U.S. and Panama signed a treaty transferring the canal operation and the Canal Zone back to Panama. The canal today is part of Panama just as Alaska is part of the U.S. after its purchase from Russia in 1867.
A loud voice currently states we are taking the Panama Canal back with or without agreement — a clear violation of the U.N. Charter. Shamefully, we would become no better than Russia attacking Ukraine. How would we react if President Vladimir Putin decided Russia should take back Alaska? This simply is not the U.S. I served for.
Diplomacy is the key ingredient to a peaceful world, which is what we said was the founding principle of the United Nations. Do the work — not just mouthing off.
David Bramhall
Phillipston
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