Office of the Historian

611.19/9–853

Memorandum by William B. Sowash of the Office of Middle American Affairs to the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Cabot)

confidential
[Washington,] September 8, 1953.

Subject:

  • Meeting with the Secretary on Panamanian Affairs

On Friday, September 4, at the request of the Secretary, Mr. Woodward, Ambassador Muccio and I called upon the Secretary to give him some background on the negotiations with Panama which will be inaugurated [Page 1415] this week. The current situation in Panama which has given rise to the Panamanian request was outlined to the Secretary, who indicated considerable interest in the matter.

The Secretary stated that he considered the 1903 Treaty a model one and said that, unless he could be persuaded to the contrary, the United States position in the forthcoming talks ought to be one of firm resistance to any demand on the part of the Panamanians for revision or renegotiation of the 1903 and 1936 Treaties. He expressed concern as to whether it had been made sufficiently clear to Ambassador Wiley and the Panamanian Government what our position is on this point. On the basis of the language of the Department’s notes to the Panamanians concerning the conversations, your conversations with President Remón while in Panama in April, and the many discussions on the subject between officers of the Department and Panamanian Ambassador Heurtematte, the Secretary was assured that the Panamanians were cognizant of our position regarding revision, although it was becoming apparent that they were choosing to ignore it. The Secretary said that he thought this point should be driven home at every opportunity.

The Secretary was shown a copy of the list of subjects which the Department believes may be raised by the Panamanians in the forthcoming talks. He showed particular interest in two items: The question of Panamanian sovereignty in the Canal Zone and the annuity. It is his view that the annuity should not be increased and that no concessions should be made which would permit any encroachment upon the complete jurisdiction which the United States presently exercises in the Canal Zone.