The primary source below is a memo written by G. Frederick Reinhardt intended for Roy Rubottom. Reinhardt was Counselor of the United States Department of State who engaged with many regions in the globe. Rubuttom was the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs which meant he could pass information up the line in the Secretary of State. In the memo, Reinhardt outlines the power structure that the U.S. has in Panama and encourages the government to review it. He elaborates by saying how there is not only the Ambassador to Panama, but also the governor of the Canal Zone and Commander in Chief of the Caribbean command. All of these leadership roles overlap and create gray areas within the region. This especially affects Panamanian officials because they get confused on who to approach and how to handle political business. The memo argues that this is negatively impacted the relationship between the two countries.
This is crucial towards this project because it is illustrating one way in which Panama and the U.S. are losing their relationship. This memo suggests that due to U.S. complexity in authority structures, communication is being lost and therefor creates a divide. This can help the project by helping explain why there is a break in relations which only gets patched by a new canal contract. This memo is warning that things need to change in the way the U.S. is handling Panama or else things might deteriorate more. It is not the sole reason for this however, it is one clear example. We can use it to show the fall of relations and why there are protests in the 1960s and a new contract negotiated in the 1970s.
Primary Source:
Full Document:
G. Frederick Reinhardt, “Panama and the Canal Zone“, National Archives Catalog (1959)