Show m mm 1 if I If It Seems Seems' To Me Hy lIy Joseph h II 11 vv 1 v v XII III Panama treaty The first U U. U S. S President to try to give away the Panama Canal was Lyndon B. B Johnson In 1967 1961 his administration drew up a treaty that would give the Panama C r. 1 l to Panama but require u u. defend it Had Johnson not been overwhelmed by the war anti-war protestors and Hubert Humphrey his loyal supporter not been defeated by byI 1 I J- J JH r H d Nixon in 1968 that treat t lI ht have been ratified There was strong sentiment in Congress for giving the Panamanians whatever they wanted to avoid further urther trouble Nixon was too busy with more pressing matters to concern himself with the Panama Canal but the State Department Department Depart Depart- ment remained dedicated to the Johnson policy polley After Ford came into office negotiations with the Panamanians were resumed It is the result of these negotiations which were going on while Reagan and Ford debated the issue Isue during their battle for the Republican nomination that President Carter now proposes to the Senate CARTERS CAnTERS TREATY will turn over the U. U S S. S control to the Panama Canal and the adjacent Canal Zone to Panama by the year 2000 It will also provide for an h increase crease In in U. U S. S payments for use of the Canal Canalas as well as hundreds of millions of dollars in aid Much of that money will be spent by Panama in trade with Russia Rep William L. L Dickinson I R a. has called the proposal ridiculous and I agree Why should we pay the Panamanians to take over property we built paid for and have operated for the mutual benefit of Panama and the U. U S. S for over half a century It smacks of blackmail and underlines underlines underlines un un- an alarming tendency in the State Department to agree to most anything to avoid offending any country no matter how v small and weak that shows the slightest inclination inclination inclination in in- to cause us trouble The most alarming aspect of the trea treaty ty however is the naked ked position the U U. S. S would be left in during the transitional years All of the Canal Zone except for three defense bases would be turned over to Panama but the U. U S. S WOULD BE DE RESPONSIBLE FOR DEFENDING THE TIlE Canal Within a few years after the treaty is signed the Panama National Guard will wll share Canal security duties with the theU U U. U S. S A quick glance at the disreputable Panama National Guard will wll indicate the problems that part of the treaty will create IT IS difficult to believe the military leaders in the Pentagon Pentagon Pentagon Pen Pen- tagon are pleased with the treaty and are confident they can defend the Canal Consider the situation The U. U S S. S military forces will be confined to bases in the midst of a foreign land There will be no buffer space on either side of the Canal now we have a zone 10 miles wide Sabotage will be almost Impossible impossible impossible im im- Im- Im possible to defend against A few hundred guerrillas in inthe inthe inthe the Panamanian jungles could operate at will hitting practically practically any targets they chose If the U. U S. S defense forces tried to ro rout t the guerrillas out of their jungle bases we would have another Vietnam situation on our hands The enemy propagandists would have afield a afield afield field day labeling us foreign aggressors If President Carter is bound and determined to give the Canal and the Canal Zone to Gen Omar Torrijos the banana republic dictator and his Communist cohorts he should give them the property as with is no blackmail payments and no U. U S S. S defense forces He should pull out of Panama entirely and let the United Nations decide how the Canal will be protected EITHER THE TILE Canal is ours and we will continue to operate it and protect it as we have done very successfully through two world wars or it belongs to the Panamanians and we should turn it over to them and go home The treaty Carter proposes enables the Panamanians to have their cake ake and eat it too If the Senate ratifies it we should change our country's nickname from Uncle Sam to Uncle Sucker |