Ernest Graves
The Panamanians wanted a bilateral relationship where they could pull the chain of the
United States every time anything didn't suit them. If they got a multinational authority,
then that would be intractable, and Panama would lose leverage.
Q:
So the canal story played itself out when you were finished with the War College and
you were in the Office of the Secretary of the Army?
A:
Precisely. That is when the Johnson administration embarked on a negotiation with the
Robles regime in Panama aimed at trying to make these treaties and solve the problems
that came to a head when there were the riots in 1964. That's when the events that I
was just describing took place.
When I came out of the War College, I went into the Office of the Deputy Under
Secretary of the Army for International Affairs. For most of that time, this was
Thaddeus Holt, a man whom I enjoyed working for very much and who is now one of
Thaddeus Holt, Deputy Under Secretary of the Army (Internal Affairs), Mrs, Graves, Colonel Graves
being congratulated on his promotion by Ralph, Robert, William, and Emily Graves.
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