In 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, which the Senate ratified the following year, ceding control of the Panama Canal to Panama. Conservatives, including California’s former Governor Ronald Reagan, largely opposed the arrangement, arguing it undermined American regional interests. “We built it. We paid for it. It’s ours!” he famously argued.
Not all Reagan allies agreed. Conservative thought leader and author William F. Buckley rejected the governor’s logic, simultaneously defending colonialism (evidencing his disinterest in “lachrymose appeals to pull out of Panama on the grounds that our presence there is the last vestige of colonialism”). In his own words, WFB broke “conservative ranks… [and] urged the Senate to ratify the proposed treaty” because, in his opinion, “the United States, by signing these treaties, is better off militarily, is better off economically, and is better off spiritually.”
The Republican heavyweights clashed in an iconic episode of Buckley’s show “Firing Line,” which Buckley described at lengths in his book “The Reagan I Knew.” Recorded on January 13, 1978 — 47 years ago today — the landmark debate pitted two of America’s most brilliant minds (plus an impressive array of cross-examiners and advisors) against each other over a topic that has for decades since appeared trivial. However, as President-elect Donald Trump has recently reintroduced the matter, suggesting he may reverse Carter’s treaty, the pair’s interlocution is again relevant.
To discover the history behind the 47th president's proposal to reclaim the Canal and celebrate the 47th anniversary of a historic debate about the same, revisit Reagan vs. Buckley here:
Reagan and WFB clashed over the transfer of the Panama Canal. Forty-seven years later, that debate is once again relevant.
Published in Blog on January 13, 2025 by Jakob Fay
