PM–1. Editorial Note
On May 2, 1958, Panamanian students entered the Panama Canal Zone and planted Panamanian flags in front of the Administration Building and other predetermined public places in Balboa in support of their “Operation Sovereignty” and urged Ernesto de la Guardia, Jr., the President of Panama, to initiate negotiations with the United States to have the Panamanian flag flown in the Canal Zone. President de la Guardia, in an effort to appease student demands, sought the advice of Panama’s National Council of Foreign Relations concerning the most convenient approach to such negotiations. Representatives of the Republic of Panama, however, did not initiate a request to negotiate. Documentation concerning these events is in Department of State files 719.00 and 911F.7301.