819.00/2089: Telegram
The Ambassador in Panama (Dawson) to the Secretary of State
[Received 10:47 p.m.]
198. Department’s telegram 168 of November 15. I had an interview this morning with the Panamanian Foreign Secretary and requested an early audience with the President for the purpose of presenting the note, the text of which I handed the Secretary informally for his information and that of the President. He said that he would bring the matter to the President’s attention today.
In a brief conversation in which De Roux stressed with considerable warmth the friendly sentiments of the President and his administration towards the United States he said that throughout the discussion of the new constitution he personally had taken particular care to see that it did not conflict with Panama’s international obligations with special reference to the United States and that in his opinion there is nothing in the proposed constitution which [is] anyway incompatible with Panama’s treaties with the United States whose rights there is no intention not to recognize.
With minor changes the new constitution has now been approved by the National Assembly in the decisive second reading and it will presumably be approved early next week and perhaps on Monday without further discussion in third reading which is usually perfunctory. As soon as the official text as revised and approved by the Assembly can be obtained it will be transmitted to the Department.
[Page 1094]Apparently the President has not yet reached a decision as to the further procedure to be followed with a view to placing the new constitution in effect.
In its consideration of the new constitution the Department may find helpful the enclosures to my despatch 761 of November 12.34
- Not printed.↩