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Howard Phillips at the Panama Canal

Panama Canal Information 1999 Panama Trip Report Howard Phillips' Letter to the Editor on the Canal Panama Canal Action Item

Dear Fellow Conservative:

You are cordially invited to join me and Lt. General Gordon Sumner (USA-Ret.) on a four-day, action-oriented visit to Panama, arriving May 9 and returning May 12, 2005.

Our visit will include (a) an inspection tour of the Canal, (b) a visit to the Red China container ports on the Atlantic and Pacific entrances to the Canal, (c) meetings with Panamanian officials, business leaders, and media, (d) briefings concerning the impact of al Qaeda, drug dealers, and corruption in Panama, (e) a meeting with U.S. State Department personnel in Panama City, (f) discussion concerning efforts to defend the Canal against terrorism, (g) sightseeing, and (h) dinner at the home of TCC Board member, the renowned Dr. William Campbell Douglass (editor of Real Health), to discuss real estate opportunities and health issues.

Since the withdrawal of all U.S. forces at the end of 1999, Panama (which has no military, except a coast guard) alone has been directly responsible for the defense of a target which is high on terrorist wish lists (just as the Japanese hoped to cripple the Canal during World War II).

For more than three years since terrorists destroyed the Twin Towers and part of the Pentagon, the Panama Canal has remained undefended.

We will explore ways and means to restore a U.S. military presence in Panama, defend the Canal from terrorists, and expel the Red Chinese from control of the port facilities at both ends of the Canal.

A new President, Martin Torrijos, took office in Panama last September, a man who is well known to my colleague on the Board of Directors of The Conservative Caucus, Lt. General Gordon Sumner (USA-Ret.). General Sumner is the former Chairman of the Inter-American Defense Board, and served as Ronald Reagan’s Ambassador-at-Large for Latin America.

I hope that, with General Sumner’s help, we can revive Panama’s interest in bringing back U.S. military personnel. After all, Panama’s economy depends on keeping the Canal open and operating effectively.

The Bush Administration has, thus far, disregarded our request that U.S. policy regarding Panama be reviewed and strengthened. There has been no effort whatsoever to open negotiations with the Panamanian government concerning the restoration of U.S. bases in Panama. Nor has Congress taken up House Concurrent Resolution 9, introduced by Congressman Virgil Goode (R-Va.) at the request of The Conservative Caucus. That resolution calls for a new agreement with Panama to base U.S. troops near the Canal.

Sadly, the Panamanian government – with no protest from either Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, or the State Department – remains in violation of the 1978 treaties by which the U.S. surrendered control of the Panama Canal Zone and the Canal itself. Those treaties require that none but Panama or America exert control over the Canal or the area which formerly constituted the Canal Zone.

Control of the ports at both ends of the Canal by Hutchison Whampoa (a Hong Kong company closely tied to Red China’s People’s Liberation Army) is in conflict with the clear language of the 1978 treaties.

TCCF must actively exploit the opportunity arising from the election of a new Panamanian President and use both private influence and public pressure – in Panama and the U.S. – and get negotiations underway.

With the help of friends and contacts in Panama, we must encourage Panama’s new President, Martin Torrijos, to take positive action, coordinate with sympathetic U.S. officials, and bring public opinion up to speed. It’s in his interest to do so. If the Panama Canal were closed by terrorism or some other cause, the loss of revenues would bankrupt Panama’s government.

Even though President Bush and the Republican leadership in Congress have, thus far, ignored the need for action to defend America’s vital interests in Panama, I think we can have an impact and change the course of history. General Sumner’s key contacts give us a unique opportunity to do this.

I’m also hopeful that my friend, Duncan Hunter, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, will be prompted by the trip findings I will present to him to provide the necessary leadership to return U.S. troops to Panama.

Please plan to join us, and put this tour on your calendar. The cost of $2,450 for each traveler will cover hotel accommodations for May 9, 10, and 11 (departure on May 12), meals, and local transportation – air reservations and expense to and from Panama City will be each traveler’s responsibility.

This will be a "once in a lifetime" experience.

With personal best wishes, I am

Sincerely,

Howard Phillips
President

P.S. Please let me have your response as quickly as possible. The size of our group is necessarily limited.

To: Howard Phillips, President
The Conservative Caucus Foundation (TCCF)
450 Maple Avenue East
Vienna, Virginia 22180

From:

Name: ________________________________________________

Address: ______________________________________________

City, State, Zip: _________________________________________

Phone: ________________________________________________

Cell Phone: ____________________________________________

E-mail: _______________________________________________

___ Yes, Howard, I do want to travel with you and General Sumner to Panama May 9-12, 2005 to see, first-hand, what can and must be done. 

Enclosed is my check (made payable to TCCF) for: 
___ $2,450 total cost for one traveler, or ___ $4,500 total cost for two travelers

___ No, I’m not able to travel to Panama May 9-12, 2005, but I would like to help cover the expense of the tour. I am enclosing my tax-deductible contribution of $_________.

___ I prefer to use my credit card. Please charge $__________ to my:  ___ Visa or ___ MasterCard

Acct. no: __________________________________________ 

Exp. date: ____________

Signature: __________________________________________