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Bob Dole leans out the side of a boat, with other boats and the Panama Canal in the background

Panama Canal

Summary

After completing the Panama Canal in 1914, the United States maintained ownership over 553 miles of land around the canal. In 1964, hostilities erupted over the United States control of the Canal Zone and rioting ensued. Many Americans, including Senator Dole, believed the United States should retain ownership of the Canal, but in 1977 President Carter and Panamanian General Torrijos signed a treaty to give control of the Panama Canal to Panama.

Archival Materials

Senator Bob Dole eating and speaking with the Panama Canal Zone Adjutant during a trip to the Panama Canal

Bob Dole is holding something in his hand. His facial expression suggests he is eating. Someone with a sailor's hat reading 'Canal Zone' is looking at what Dole is holding

File Name: ph_065_009_003

Material Type: Photograph

Date: 1978

Citation: Dole Photograph Collection, 1900-2011, Box 65, Folder 9, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas


Date Range

  • 1967-1978

Online Materials

  • Pamphlets, letters, fact sheets, legislation about Panama and the Panama Canal, and the 1977 Treaty and amendments

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Senator Bob Dole Touring Panama Canal

Bob Dole is hanging out the side of a boat with a canal and more boats in the background

File Name: ph_065_009_001

Material Type: Photograph

Date: 1978

Citation: Dole Photograph Collection, 1900-2011, Box 65, Folder 9, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas


Senator Bob Dole Talking to others with Panama Canal in the Background

Bob Dole is dressed casually and has documents tucked under his arm. He is chatting with several other men.

File Name: ph_065_009_004

Material Type: Photograph

Date: 1978

Citation: Dole Photograph Collection, 1900-2011, Box 65, Folder 9, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas


Dole Amendments to the Panama Canal Treaty

Dole Amendments to the Panama Canal Treaties

File Name: s-leg_683_009_001

Material Type: Text

Date: Undated

Citation: Robert J. Dole Senate Papers- Legislative Relations, 1969-1996, Box 683, Folder 9, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas


Panama: Marxist Enclave on the Isthmus. Report by Nicaragua Government Information Service on Communism in Panama

Cover of Panama: Marxist Enclave on the Isthmus. Report by Nicaragua Government Information Service on Communism in Panama

File Name: s-leg_302_010_001

Material Type: Text

Date: Undated

Citation: Robert J. Dole Senate Papers- Legislative Relations, 1969-1996, Box 302, Folder 10, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas


Panama Canal Treaty, translation from Spanish to English

cover page of Panama Canal Treaty, translation from Spanish to English

File Name: s-leg_302_010_002

Material Type: Text

Date: 1977-07-10

Citation: Robert J. Dole Senate Papers- Legislative Relations, 1969-1996, Box 302, Folder 10, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas


Correspondence From Grain Farmer in Barton County, KS, Opposing Panama Canal Treaties and Bob Dole’s Reply

Letter to Senator Bob Dole from Grain Farmer in Barton County, Kansas, Opposing Panama Canal Treaties

File Name: s-con_092_007_001

Material Type: Text

Date: 1967-08-28

Citation: Robert J. Dole Senate Papers- Constituent Relations, 1960-1969, Box 92, Folder 7, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas


‘President Johnson's Folly: The New Panama Treaty’ Pamphlet by Committee on Pan-American Policy sent by Stockton, KS, man with reply from Bob Dole

response letter from Bob Dole to Stockton, Kansas, man regarding the Panama Canal Treaty proposed by President Johnson.

File Name: s-con_092_007_002

Material Type: Text

Date: 1967-08-31

Citation: Robert J. Dole Senate Papers- Constituent Relations, 1960-1969, Box 92, Folder 7, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas


‘The Panama Canal Zone’ Fact Sheet Regarding U.S. Sovereignty Over the Panama Canal. Prepared by the Republican Study Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives

‘The Panama Canal Zone’ Fact Sheet Regarding U.S. Sovereignty Over the Panama Canal. Prepared by the Republican Study Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives

File Name: s-leg_716_011_001

Material Type: Text

Date: 1975-10-29

Citation: Robert J. Dole Senate Papers- Legislative Relations, 1969-1996, Box 716, Folder 11, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas


Form Letter Used to Reply to Constituents in Favor of the Panama Canal Treaty

Form Letter Used to Reply to Constituents in Favor of the Panama Canal Treaty

File Name: s-leg_716_011_002

Material Type: Text

Date: Undated

Citation: Robert J. Dole Senate Papers- Legislative Relations, 1969-1996, Box 716, Folder 11, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas


Panama Canal Issue Brief Prepared by the Library of Congress Congressional Research Service

Panama Canal Issue Brief Prepared by the Library of Congress Congressional Research Service

File Name: s-leg_716_011_003

Material Type: Text

Date: 1974-11-06

Citation: Robert J. Dole Senate Papers- Legislative Relations, 1969-1996, Box 716, Folder 11, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas


Panama Canal Resolution with Note from Senator Strom Thurmond to Senator Bob Dole

Note from Senator Strom Thurmond to Senator Bob Dole expressing appreciation for Dole's support on the Panama Canal Resolution.

File Name: s-leg_716_011_004

Material Type: Text

Date: 1975-02-19

Citation: Robert J. Dole Senate Papers- Legislative Relations, 1969-1996, Box 716, Folder 11, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas


Letter from Senator Bob Dole on behalf of the Young Republican's Fund to Save Our Panama Canal

Letter from Senator Bob Dole on behalf of the Young Republican's Fund to Save Our Panama Canal

File Name: s-pers_031_004_001

Material Type: Text

Date: 1977-09-23

Citation: Robert J. Dole Senate Papers- Personal/Political Files, 1969-1996, Box 31, Folder 4, Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archive and Special Collections, Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, University of Kansas


Bibliography

Clymer, Adam. Drawing the Line at the Big Ditch: The Panama Canal Treaties and the Rise of the Right. Lawrence, Kan.: University Press of Kansas, 2008.

Falcoff, Mark. Panama’s Canal: What Happens When the United States Gives a Small Country What it Wants. Washington, D.C.: AEI Press, 1998.

LaFeber, Walter. The Panama Canal: The Crisis in Historical Perspective. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.

McCullough, David. The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal. New York: Simon and Shuster, 2004.