Word: canals
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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Trying to hang on to the canal in the face of growing opposition might be more of a threat to U.S. security than gradually ceding control. "This thing is terribly explosive," says a high Administration source. "If the treaty is rejected, we'll confront a bloody mess in Panama, and elsewhere." It is generally conceded that the waterway is basically indefensible. Determined guerrillas could close it down for an indefinite period by lobbing a few hand grenades into lock machinery. Says a top British military expert: "The whole history of the years of decolonization since 1945 has shown that however...
...Panama Run It? A final argument against the treaty is that efficient and responsible management of the canal may be sacrificed. Since the Big Ditch was opened for business in 1914, accidents have been rare, and no ships have sunk in the canal proper. On an average day, 34 vessels move uneventfully through the canal without mishap or even tension. The U.S. has also run the canal as a bargain for shippers: tolls have been raised only twice. The operation's 1976 deficit: $7.4 million, on tolls totaling $134.3 million...
...tolls are increased and service deteriorates under Panamanian control, Latin American nations will be particularly damaged. Half of Ecuador's trade, 41% of Peru's and 77% of Nicaragua's moves through the canal. Accordingly, while these and other Latin American countries such as Colombia and Chile publicly supported U.S. cession of the canal, they conducted "back channel" talks with Washington to make sure that there would be American guarantees of uninterrupted operation...
...provision of the new treaty calls for a "feasibility study" for a second canal, but it is generally agreed that the cost would be prohibitive. Still, there is no reason to assume that Panamanians will fail to run the canal properly. They have ample time to learn on the job. And, of course, the U.S. retains the right to intervene if the canal runs into serious trouble...
...reasons for the intense commitment of many Americans to the canal may be more implied than stated. It remains a point of pride in a period of national disillusionment and setbacks. It also recalls a bygone era when a more confident U.S. could act with a free hand in Latin America. Says David McCullough, author of The Path Between the Seas, a history of the canal: "It is the physical expression of a boundless confidence, one which believed tomorrow will be better. If an archaeologist were to come across only the locks and the cuts in that jungle, his conclusion...