The Panama Canal

During the Young Americans for Freedom annual convention, which in 1991 was entitled, “Victory Over Communism: Finishing the Job,” the National Security Center cosponsored a forum on the Panama Canal. Richard Delgaudio, President of the National Security Center, discussed the history of the relations between the U.S. and Panama that resulted in the relinquishing of the canal to Panamanian control. He argued the Panama Canal issue aided the Republican victory in the presidential election in 1980, and said the Panama Canal should remain an important issue for American conservatives due to its relationship to American security. Captain G. Russell Evans, editor of the newsletter Panama Alert discussed the Panama Canal “swindle,” and said the relinquishment of the Panama Canal resulted from the violation of the U.S. Constitution, the Panamanian constitution, and international law. close