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Show Who owns the Panama Canal? It doesn't seem possible, but in a recent opinion survey sponsored by the American Council for World Freedom in Washington, 44 percent of the people questioned confessed that they didn't know who owns the Panama Canal. Another 21 percent guessed wrong. Only 35 percent of those polled gave the correct answer: The United States of America owns the Panama Canal. We can't believe that the readers of this newspaper are equally uninformed, but just to make sure, let us review a few facts. We can't believe that the readers of this newspaper are equally uninformed, but just to make sure, let us review a few facts. The Panama Canal was built and paid for by the United States, on land purchased from the country of Panama, in 1903. We paid $10 million for the 52 miles long, five miles wide strip of land which is called the Canal Zone. In addition, we have paid Panama a yearly amount which began at $250,000 a year and now stands at about $2,000,000 annual payment. Since acquiring the Zone, the taxpayers of the United States have poured over five and one half billion dollars into the construction, operation, and maintenance of the Panama Canal. About 15,000 people are employed to operate and maintain the Canal, two thirds of them being native Panamanians. Over 120 million tons of cargo are transported on nearly 15,000 ships through the Canal each year, and 70 percent of that tonnage originates in or is destined for American ports. The Canal has been of tremendous value to the economic welfare of the people of Panama. More than 40 percent of Panama's foreign exchange earnings and nearly one-third one-third of its gross national product are directly or indirectly attributable at-tributable to the presence of the American-owned and supervised Canal. Extreme left wingers in and out of Government have been agitating for the United States to give the Canal Zone back to Panama, which would be somewhat akin to suggesting that we give Alaska back to Russia and the Louisiana Purchase back to France. Since World War II there have been 13 changes of government in Panama, five of them violet, and the present government is headed by a military dictator with strong Marxist-Socialist leanings. Under these circumstances, is it your opinion that we should "give back the Panama Canal to Panama?" If it isn't, then you would be wise to so advise President Ford and your representaives in Washington; because, unbelievable as it may seem, that is exactly what certain elements in the U.S. State Department are planning to An |