The Doctor Takes a Trip

The day he decreed that merchantmen of Panamanian registry should not be armed, Panama's President Arnulfo Arias was on his way out of his country. Three days later Panama had a new, pro-U.S. President. To cynics this seemed like a first-class example of U.S. interference in the domestic affairs of a Latin American country. In fact, it was not.

The coup that deposed U.S.-educated,* U.S.-hating Dr. Arias was the almost inevitable result of President Arias' own nationalistic pipedreams. The coup had been simmering for weeks.

Though President Arias hated to admit it, the economy of Panama depends mostly on the U.S. and the Panama Canal. In his year as President, Arnulfo Arias did his best to make Panama over for Panamanians. He made some threatening faces at the U.S., wrote himself up a neat new constitution with a totalitarian flavor. The constitution extended President Arias' own term, established some profitable Government monopolies, gave the President power to expropriate private property and even take over dictatorial control of the Government.

It was this same constitution which finally upset the Arias applecart. A handsome man of 40 who dresses like a fashion plate, Dr. Arias fancies himself a lady-killer. Last month, when he and his good friend Anita de la Vega spent a pleasant week in Costa Rica settling a border dispute, he remembered the wording of his own constitution. Before leaving the country he obtained the formal consent of his Cabinet. This time he went to Cuba to see his "eye doctor" about a little trouble. But this time he neglected to get the Cabinet's consent.

Before the President's plane had decanted him in Cuba, Panama was abuzz. When he heard that Don Arnulfo was gone, onetime Police Chief Colonel Manuel Pino rubbed his hands. With two other veteran politicos, Julio Fabrega and Leopoldo Arosemena, he had been planning for a month to seize the police force and set up a junta.

But before the junta could step in, another figure appeared. He was pale-faced, lame Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia, one of the best friends the U.S. had in Arias' Cabinet. He took over the police in Arias' name, spoiling the junta's plans.

By 9 the next morning he had decided to take over himself, had started a police roundup of Arias' henchmen. At 10 the Cabinet met in the Balboa police station to form a new Government. As President it picked Ernesto Jaen Guardia, who was sworn in at 1 p.m. But after two members of the old Cabinet were arrested, Ernesto decided that he did not choose to rule, and by the end of the afternoon Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia was Panama's boss. All these changes were constitutional.

For Dr. Arias, dallying in Havana, events had moved much too fast. He moaned that the news of the new Government was "a great surprise," waited for official permission to go back to his country. When permission did not come, he decided to go back anyway. Six days after he had left, the ex-President was on his way back to Panama and almost certain arrest for leaving his country without permission.

* Dr. Arias studied medicine and surgery at Harvard. He wrote a "Sanitary Survey of the City of Quincy, Mass." and received a football injury which caused his opponents in last year's election to call him el candidate media (the half candidate).

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