Giving Up The Canal

Edwin Newman, the dry champion of correct English, is the narrator for this documentary which chronicles Panama's political history dating from the building of the Panama Canal. Begun in 1904, the Panama Canal has been a key economic factor in U.S.-foreign trade throughout the century, although uprisings in 1959 and 1964 protesting the U.S. presence eventually led to the Carter Administration's renegotiating of the Panama Canal treaties. Later, the widespread media coverage of the oppression inflicted by Noriega, a tyrannical dictator and drug runner, finally led to the Reagan Administration's decision to physically intervene: hence the U.S.-managed overthrow at the close of 1989. In the wake of direct U.S. intervention, feelings run the gamut throughout Panama, with some highly critical and others deeply grateful. Interviewees from the Panamanian press, the newly elected government, and officials from the U.S., offer a broad range of viewpoints concerning Panama's recent history, and speculate on the future. An interesting program. Recommended. (See THE COMMITTEE: TAXATION WITH REPRESENTATION for availability.)