Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, Volume V, Microfiche Supplement, American Republics

PM–28. Letter from the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs (Mallory) to the Secretary of the Army (Brucker)¹

Washington, December 17, 1959

Dear Mr. Secretary:

A meeting of representatives of the Department of State, Defense, and Army was held at Assistant Secretary of State Rubottom’s office on December 8 to discuss the display of the Panamanian flag in the Canal Zone. Among these present were Assistant Security of the Army (FM) Roderick, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (IEA) Knight, and Mr. Rubottom, as well as members of their respective staffs.

The implicit decision of the President which he stated at his December 2 press conference² as “. . . the one question of the flag has never been specifically placed before me; no decision has ever been made about it, but I do in some form or other believe we should have visual evidence that Panama does have titular sovereignty over the region”, would appear to invite the submission to him of a recommendation on this matter, and, in view of an official request already received from the Government of Panama for the display of its flag on a regular basis in the Canal Zone, I have been authorized by the Secretary of State to undertake with the Department of Defense to prepare a joint recommendation on the flag issue for submission to the President for his decision.

I have attached hereto a draft recommendation for consideration by the Departments of Defense and Army, with a view to holding an early meeting to approve such a paper for joint submission to the President.³

Mr. Rubottom and members of his staff are prepared to meet with you at your convenience to discuss this proposed recommendation as well as procedures to be followed for our display of the Panamanian flag in the Canal Zone.

A copy of this letter is being sent to Assistant Secretary of Defense (ISA) John N. Irwin II.

Sincerely yours,

Lester D. Mallory

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 719.04/12–1759. Drafted by Sharp on December 15.
2. For the text of the President’s press conference on December 2, see Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1959, p. 785.
3. The suggestions advanced in the draft recommendation to the President were that the United States and Panamanian flags should be displayed on a daily basis at specific localities opposite Panama City and Colón and that arrangements should be made for special ceremonies to mark the initial raising of the flags as well as to commemorate annually the two national holidays of July 4 and November 3.