Prize Possession: The United States Government and the Panama Canal 1903-1979 [Paperback]

John Major (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521521262 | ISBN-13: 978-0521521260 | Publication Date: October 30, 2003

Prize Possession is a comprehensive history of U.S. policy toward the Panama Canal between 1903 and 1979, focusing on five key themes: the Canal's defense and its place in American strategy; the Zone's autocratic system of government; its strictly segregated labor force; its commercial development at the expense of Panama; and the equally controversial issue of U.S. intervention in Panamanian politics. The book is based for the most part on the hitherto largely untapped sources of U.S. government agencies, namely the State, War, and Navy Departments, and the Canal Zone administration, as well as on the papers of notable dramatis personae such as Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt and Philippe Bunau-Varilla.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this well-researched, scholarly study, Major traces the roots of Washington's Panama Canal policy deep into the 19th century, with emphasis on the rivalry between the U.S. and Britain over the proposed isthmian waterway. The author, who teaches history at the University of Hull in England, describes how the U.S. gained treaty rights to build, maintain and fortify the canal and explains how the canal affected Panamanian politics and economics. Built between 1904 and 1914, the canal performed a dual role as a thoroughfare for maritime commerce and a conduit for seapower. Major argues that the canal more than justified itself in both categories throughout WW II but lost its strategic and economic importance in the postwar years. In a later section of the study he charts the U.S. government's decision to transfer canal authority to Panama via treaties signed in 1977 during the Carter administration. Those treaties stipulated that in 1979 the Canal Zone, created three quarters of a century earlier, would cease to exist.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

British scholar Major has examined a wealth of U.S. government documents bearing on American involvement in Panama and the Canal Zone, from Theodore Roosevelt to Jimmy Carter. Unlike such previous scholars as David McCullough, who have concentrated on how the United States acquired the rights in 1903 to build an isthmian canal, Major focuses on the subsequent history of the Canal Zone. His concern is how the United States administered the zone, governed its people, and intervened in Panamanian politics for more than seven decades. Despite its considerable achievement, Major's work will not supplant Walter LaFeber's The Panama Canal: The Crisis in Historical Perspective (1978; LJ 10/15/89. rev. ed.), which should also be consulted. Recommended for academic libraries.
- Thomas H. Appleton Jr., Kentucky Historical Soc., Frankfort
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 456 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (October 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521521262
• ISBN-13: 978-0521521260
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,705,822 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More Heat - Less light on an Old Story, February 5, 2010

By 

Gustavo A. Mellander, Ph.D., D.H.L. "Gus A. M... (George Mason Univer., Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prize Possession: The United States Government and the Panama Canal 1903-1979 (Paperback)

This is a good albeit flawed study. It is well-researched but some will question its conclusions, the direct ones and the subtle ones. The footnotes are good and reflect careful research. The index is comprehensive and useful. Nonetheless, this book errs on being unduly critical of the U. S. role and administration. One is hard pressed to find a less imperialistic nation than the United States. Look at the French, Belgium, English, Japanese, etc. imperial examples.

Specifically the book covers the years from 1904, when Panama with help from the U. S. separated from Colombia in November 1903, to 1979. The book also includes some useful information dating back several hundred years. The author points out that many European countries wanted access to the Isthmus of Panana, only fifty miles wide in some sections, for trade and imperialistic reasons. England, France, Spain and other European countries wanted to build and control a canal to unite the two oceans. It took the boisterous Theodore Roosevelt to do it. His actions have been widely condemned or praised by countless historians.

It is well to remember that had TR not acted, and I am not an apologist for him, Panama would have remained a neglected province of Colombia. Remember as well that Panama, along with four other Latin American nations, joined Gran Colombia voluntarily in the 1820s. It was quickly ignored and scorned by Colombia for the next 80 years. To wit: there were over 80 up risings, attempts at achieveing independence, against Colombia during those years. They were not happy campers and yes, they were ignored by the government in Bogota. Cognizant of European ambitions on Panama, one far thinking senator suggested that Colombia move its capital to Panama City to guarantee its continued sovernity over the Isthmus. It never happened and the senator lost his seat.

In an attempt to keep Europe at bay, Colombia signed a series of understandings with the U.S. to guarantee their hegemony over Panama. The U. S. even intervened or threatened to do so several times when Panama tried to establish their independence from Colombia. The U.S. wasn't pure either, it wanted to eventually build a canal in the region. Plus the Monroe Doctrince was still in full force. Colombia's experience highlights the danger of seeking a powerful protector -- they may take you over.

The book has five major themes. "The canal's defense and its place in America's strategy, the Zone's regimental system of government, its strictly segregated labour force, its commercial development at the expense of Panama, and the equally controversial issue of U.S. government intervention in Panamanian Politics."

Clearly, the author has a very biased and erroneous point of view. Too bad for it weakens his book and negates all the serious research he did. He should have been more balanced.

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Dr. Mellander earned a Ph. D. in Latin American History from the George Washington University. He specialized in U.S.- Panamanian relations and wrote three books and many articles on Panama.