Forgotten by history: The Panama Canal in World War Two

The Panama Canal was one of the most important strategic targets in the Western Hemisphere during World War Two and absolutely vital to the American war effort. The United States expended valuable manpower and materiel to protect the Canal from a number of threats, perceived or real, during this time. The security of the Canal reinforced American fears that the Latin America was rife with subversion and that the Canal itself was extremely vulnerable.;In its defense of the Canal the U.S. military had to prepare for a number of different situations. The military had to prepare the Canal for defense against a direct Axis attack, not unlike the Japanese raid at Pearl Harbor. In order to do this it significantly escalated the American presence in Panama. The military also prepared a fortified perimeter consisting of air and sea patrols from islands that formed a thousand mile ring around Panama.;The Roosevelt administration and the U.S. State Department feared that the domestic political environment of Panama would cause problems for the security of the Canal. The 1930s and early 1940s were tumultuous years for Panamanian politics. There were two coups that overthrew the democratically elected governments and a number of violent election campaigns. In addition to domestic politics, the election of the ultra- nationalistic Arnulfo Arias Madrid caused the U.S. government considerable anxiety due to his nationalistic and somewhat anti-American policies.;U.S. intelligence services feared espionage and sabotage by Axis subversives. Intelligence officials watched and investigated operatives from all the Axis nations plus a few associates. The Germans and Japanese had strong contingents in Panama. The Spanish Falange and the Vichy assisted these primary belligerents with help for their espionage, propaganda and sabotage activities. In order to deal with the sabotage the U.S. military instituted anti-sabotage measures throughout the Canal Zone. iv...