78-04-A1

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Canal

Transcript Today it's easy for a citizen to throw up his hands and say what can one person do? Well I'll tell you what one person has done and don't tune me out just because it has to do with the Panama Canal. A builder, a friend of mine in California, knowledgeable about engineering and construction, went to Panama solely for the purpose of seeing for himself what the situation is. Then he wrote me a letter and sent a copy to every U.S. Senator. He wrote, --QUOTE-- I have heard so many ranking Republicans endorse the Panama Canal treaties that I made a special effort to go to Panama. So that I could have access to the people I went through the canal on a private chartered boat. I made no effort to meet brass, but asked leading questions of the ordinary citizens such as Panamanian agents, contractors, cab drivers, etc. and American ship pilots, harbor masters and young and old Canal employees of every category. I came away with a loss of respect for the type of mentality many of our Washington representatives are showing--Republican or Democrat." --UNQUOTE. My correspondent went on to list the conclusions from his observations --QUOTE-- "1: Torrijos is a complete dictator who owns the country, lives in a shabby little house to fool the people, snows our congressmen on a nearby island resort, is a great friend of the Communists, and stashes cash away in Spain and Switzerland. "2: Panama is practically bankrupt, and many American bankers probably see no way of repayment of their loans; let alone interest, without a gigantic give away by the American taxpayers. "3: The Panamanian mentality is not to maintain equipment, but to wait until it breaks down and then think about fixing it someday. I saw new buildings in Panama literally falling apart. I saw crews of Panamanians working in the Canal zone where the pay is three times higher. Example: moving a pile of dirt required one supervisor, two men with picks, two men with shovels, two men on a wheelbarrow. One picked while six waited, then one shoveled into the wheelbarrow, then one wheeled it away. Always six waited. Could these people maintain the canal?" He goes on,--QUOTE-- "4: When the treaty is signed, the older Americans may stay around for their maximum pensions; the trained young men are leaving now and will be long gone soon after the treaty signing. "5: If the treaty is signed in its present form, the following is predicted. An American exodus; 35 then 20 then 10 then zero ships through the canal. Long complete shutdown periods due to breakdowns in complicated equipment. The taking over and staffing with technicians by the Russians who are patiently waiting and outsmarting our Washington representatives once again. Or, a war and then billions spent in repairs." My correspondent concludes--QUOTE-- "Give Panama more money, but not our canal. It is said we can't defend it. If we can't defend it now, we can't take it back when the Communists control it. Thinking Latins don't want the Russians in there any more than thinking Americans do. Now is the time to show some backbone, not after the fact. --UNQUOTE-- End quote of a letter from an American who went down on his own to see for himself. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening.		Details Batch Number 78-04-A1 Production Date 03/13/1978 Book/Page Online PDF Audio Youtube? No
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