Political and military relations of the United States and Panama; impact of the Suez Canal crisis 1

1. For previous documentation, see Foreign Relations, 1952–1954, vol. iv, pp. 1391 ff.


116. Special National Intelligence Estimate

Source: Department of State, INRNIE Files. Secret. Special National Intelligence Estimates (SNIEs) were high-level interdepartmental reports appraising foreign policy problems of an immediate or crisis nature. They were produced more quickly than the companion National Intelligence Estimate series, which dealt with subjects of wider scope. SNIEs were drafted by officers from those agencies represented on the Intelligence Advisory Committee (IAC), discussed and revised by interdepartmental working groups coordinated by the Office of National Estimates of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), approved by the IAC, and circulated under the aegis of the President, to appropriate officers of Cabinet level, and the members of the National Security Council. The Department of State provided all political and some economic sections of SNIEs.


117. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Holland) to the Secretary of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 719.00/1–1755. Confidential. Drafted by Sowash.


118. Letter From the Ambassador in Panama (Chapin) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Holland)

Source: Department of State, ARA Files: Lot 60 D 667, Panama 1955—Political Local. Secret; Official–Informal.


120. Telegram From the Ambassador in Panama (Chapin) to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 719.11/3–1755. Secret; Priority.


121. Telegram From the Acting Secretary of State to the Embassy in Panama

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 719.11/3–1755. Secret. Drafted by Sowash. Initialed by Newbegin indicating his approval.


122. Telegram From the Ambassador in Panama (Chapin) to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.1913/4–555. Confidential.


123. Telegram From the Ambassador in Panama (Chapin) to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.1913/4–655. Secret.


124. Letter From William B. Sowash of the Office of Middle American Affairs to the Counselor of the Embassy in Panama (Memminger)

Source: Department of State, ARA Files: Lot 60 D 667, Panama 1955—Political Local. Secret; Official–Informal.


125. Memorandum of Conversations Between the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Holland) and Foreign Minister Octavio Fábrega, San Francisco, June 23 and 24, 1955

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.1913/6–2355. Confidential. Drafted by Holland. Holland and Fábrega were in San Francisco for the special session of the United Nations, June 20–26, commemorating the tenth anniversary of the founding of that organization.


127. Instruction From the Acting Secretary of State to the Embassy in Panama

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.1913/10–1955. Secret. Drafted by Sowash on October 28 and approved by Newbegin.


128. Letter From the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Holland) to the Ambassador in Panama (Harrington)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.19/12–1355. Official Use Only. Drafted by Sowash.


129. Memorandum From the Director of the Bureau of the Budget (Hughes) to the Special Assistant to the President (Adams)

Source: Eisenhower Library, Project Clean Up Records, Panama Canal. Top Secret.


130. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, April 12, 1956

Source: Department of State, Holland Files: Lot 57 D 295, Panama. Confidential. Drafted by Sowash.


131. Letter From the Ambassador in Panama (Harrington) to William B. Sowash of the Office of Middle American Affairs

Source: Department of State, ARA Files: Lot 60 D 667, Panama 1956—Relations. Confidential; Official–Informal.


132. Memorandum for the Files, by William B. Sowash of the Office of Middle American Affairs

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.1913/5–2256. Confidential.


133. Telegram From the Ambassador in Panama (Harrington) to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.1913/5–2256. Confidential.


135. Letter From the Ambassador in Panama (Harrington) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Holland)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.19/6–856. Secret; Official–Informal.


136. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Holland) to the Secretary of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 719.561/6–1456. Confidential. Drafted by Sowash and concurred by Herman Phleger, the Legal Adviser. Dulles initialed his approval of this memorandum on the source text.


137. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, June 20, 1956

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.1913/6–2056. Confidential. Drafted by Sowash.


139. Memorandum of a Conversation, Ambassador’s Residence, Panama City, July 23, 1956

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, International File. Official Use Only. Drafted by Neal on August 17. President Eisenhower was in Panama to attend the meeting of the Presidents of the American Republics.


140. Memorandum From the President to the Secretary of Defense (Wilson)

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, DDE Diaries.


141. Memorandum From the Acting Secretary of the Army (Finucane) to the Secretary of Defense (Wilson)

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Administration Series. Secret. This document was included in a folder entitled “Wilson, Charles E. 1956.”


142. Memorandum From the Acting Officer in Charge of Central American and Panama Affairs (Sowash) to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Rubottom)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 919.7301/7–3156. Confidential. Transmitted through Acting Deputy Director of MID Hoyt.


143. Circular Telegram From the Secretary of State to Certain Diplomatic Missions

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.1913/8–356. Confidential. Drafted and approved by Richard I. Phillips, Public Affairs Officer, ARA. This telegram was sent to all diplomatic missions in Latin America, repeated to 33 other posts, pouched to 15 additional posts, and sent for information to Ottawa.


144. Memorandum From the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Rubottom) to the Secretary of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.1913/8–956. Confidential. Drafted by Sowash and Kreig and transmitted to all (20) diplomatic missions in Latin America in circular airgram 1281, August 9. (Ibid.)

At a meeting of the Secretary’s Staff on August 2 Acting Secretary of State Hoover commented on the Latin American viewpoint on the Suez crisis and the relationship between U.S. actions regarding Suez and the Panama Canal. He asked the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs to prepare a study of the problems which existed or might arise in the Suez crisis which had a parallel in or relationship to the Panama Canal.


145. Memorandum From the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Rubottom) to the Secretary of State

Source: Department of State, ARA Files: Lot 58 D 691, Suez Canal–Panama Canal 1956. Secret. This memorandum was routed through the Executive Secretariat (S/S) and initialed by Howe. A handwritten note on the source text by William B. Macomber, Jr., Special Assistant to the Secretary of State, indicates that Dulles was informed about the contents of this memorandum.