European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 26, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse                                2 the stars and stripes James Reston wednesday april 26, 1978 canal vote a suspended sentence for carte if the Senate of the filed Stales had rejected the Panama treaty the Carter administration was ready with a series of actions designed to minimize the damage. The contingency plan was As Fol lows immediately after a negative Vole in the Senate. President Carter planned to summon the Senate leaders of both parti to meet with him in the Oval office to con Sider the military and political consequences. That same evening the president planned a Brief televised statement to the nation including an Appeal to the panamanians to maintain order and avoid any pro Vocative moves on the canal zone. An air and sea lift of military reinforcements was planned m Case the i  in the zone were not Able to handle massive demonstrations or acts of Sabo Tage. All i a. Diplomatic missions in latin America would have been placed on Alert though it was assumed in Washington regardless of precautions that several of them would have been firebombed it was also planned that on the night of the vote the president would take the Senate leaders to the National Security columns comments Council s situation room in the while House for a More detailed briefing on the.,. Situation by Zbignew Brzezinski head of the Csc. And by Admiral Turner of the Ciak and the joint chiefs of staff. Since the treaty did finally squeak through with 68 votes All this May seem a bottle melodramatic. The administration did think or at least Hope that two or three senators would come Forward and Vole for we treaty regardless of their own doubts and political risks but Only if their votes i. Were essential to assure passage of the treaty. Carter could not count on this How "5 and Ere fore had to consider what Toff Tif the Senate failed to ratify. It is Only by talking to officials who had plan for defeat of the treaty that you understand the anxiety of this administration bout the erosion of its authority and the decline of the president s Public support. They had no doubt that there would have been a wild emotional convulsion by the panamanians if the treaty had been rejected or any doubt that i a. Troops on the ground with air and sea reinforcements if necessary could have restored order but there were serious double Here that this could have been done without the sabotage of the canal and without casualties Lead ing to Anli is. Demonstrations All overlain America. Even this however was not the main concern of the president and his principal aides there is now a kind of Nightmare in Washington Lyndon Johnson retired from the White House because he lost Public support Over his Vietnam policy. Richard Nixon was driven from office by his efforts to impose presidential Power at the water Gate Jerry Ford was an unelected presi Dent with an unelected vice president and lacking popular support had to govern by veto. The Nightmare in the Carter administration on the night of the Panama vote was that a dramatic defeat on the treaty Fol Lowed by bitter recriminations Between the White House and the Congress at Home and violent anti is demonstration abroad would certainly have weakened Carter in the critical negotiations coming up Over arms control with the soviet i Mon.  control in the july Summit meeting of the Industrial nations in West Germany and peace in the Middle East and in Africa. It is not easy to explain Why two thirds of senators voted for the Panama treaty when most of them thought two thirds of the voters in their states were against it. Some voted for it on moral reasons be cause they thought it was the fair and right thing to do Many equally concerned Sena tors voted against it because they thought it was not either right or fair. Nobody voted for it because it was popular particularly if he was up for re election in no vember. But when you talk to the doubters in the Senate who voted for it in the end even at the risk of being Defeated in the november elections at least a few of them maybe even a decisive few. Voted on wider historic grounds and decided that Jimmy Carter still had almost three years to go and that the i United states did t need one More crippled president so this was not a vote of Confidence in Carter even by his party in the Senate. It was a suspended sentence. He was getting into deep trouble in the nation in the Alli Ance and in his negotiations on the most alarming problems of world affairs. Recently he has not merely been criticized but battered by the american press whose judgments thai he is an Listic. Rejected loser apparatus. But if everything seemed Here on the Panama treaty Fet nothing has been i close Call on Panama has Paisal by Carter of Bis net. His White House priorities. The Panama l the right word has Given him and the question now is wha William f. Buckley an analysis of Torrijos oratory trunk god it s Over. Concerning the vote and its aftermath a few observations 1. Omar Torrijos blew his lop. Whether he did so because of a pent up resentment at the Billingsgate he justifiably and his country unjustifiably endured Over a period of 10 weeks from the floor of the Senate of the i United states is a matter of conjecture. Almost certainly he was moved to spit Back at those who had spit at him. That being an understandable human emotion sanctioned under one Reading of the old testament. But More Likely the dominant reason for what he said arose from Domestic political consideration for reasons altogether strange Many americans who Are forgiving of i Nile Stales presidents who say one thing during their election campaigns for the Clear Pur pose of ingratiating themselves with the voters and proceed to do another on being elected Are angered when Cher chiefs of state say things Cearly intended to Ingrati ale themselves with in Panama s Case dissident non voters and having no other meaning. What did old Omar say that if the treaty bad not been ratified he d have shutdown the canal within 24 hours. Right and while the panamanian army was at it who knows it might have proceeded North conquered Texas and Given it Back to the mexicans i am reminded of a passage from a Book by the late Alois Heath about the rearing of her 10 children. Six year old Timothy born with arrested cerebral palsy twos Yea a that he has saw thug important to Tell me. His message is about communism. The communists he thinks i ought to know Are against us and we Are against communists and they plan to Beatus a but Man. Are they going to be is p de because they Don t Een know about Timothy Heath yet and with modest Pride. Terrible Timothy Sticks Jne Skinny Little leg in the air and i shows you tharvol hand a lobe kit alb a  be Gnu from clenched Teeth and while you Ponder the  store for the communists. Tim smiles and the serious Little face Breaks into whole a ladies of twinkles and dimples. " g 2. Rather More serious in its rhetorical senator de conc i that reservation for which voted even while after All. If we Are pledged to canal open we Are pledged canal open and it makes it to us whether the threat to arises from intervention by a tary Force or by a local Labori w nether in the year 2041 grandson would stand in the marines dispatched to open to problematic. That the Rukert would actually destroy the equivalent of saying that Panama Woi id commit because if to the canal i would be rebuilt Only on simply abrogated future or eighty Torrijos was tade. But it is prudent to a thir4 As he spoke of a. Because of a general lapse Mand we will be preoccupied with keeping that Anarch smash from destroying both alone the Panama canal 3 the majority of toe against the treaty Are Honor women deeply concerned for the i United slates. It is a Cranks among them have 1 Cromwel Lun afle Ruste momus. They fought a Good puff Hope that time will persuade was in the National interest should have lost it. To