The Torrijos–Carter Treaties are two treaties signed by the United States and Panama in Washington, D.C., on September 7, 1977, which abrogated the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty of 1903. The treaties guaranteed that Panama would gain control of the Panama Canal after 1999, ending the control of the canal that the U.S. had exercised since 1903. The treaties are named after the two signatories, U.S. President Jimmy Carter and the Commander of Panama's National Guard, General Omar Torrijos. Although Torrijos was not democratically elected as he had seized power in a coup in 1968, it is generally considered that he had widespread support in Panama to justify his signing of the treaties.
This first treaty is officially titled The Treaty Concerning the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal (Spanish: Tratado Concerniente a la Neutralidad Permanente y Funcionamiento del Canal de Panamá) and is commonly known as the "Neutrality Treaty". Under this treaty, the U.S. retained the permanent right to defend the canal from any threat that might interfere with its continued neutral service to ships of all nations. The second treaty is titled The Panama Canal Treaty (Tratado del Canal de Panamá), and provided that as from 12:00 on December 31, 1999, Panama would assume full control of canal operations and become primarily responsible for its defense.
One of President Jimmy Carter’s greatest accomplishments was negotiating the
Torrijos-Carter Treaties, which were ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1978. These
treaties gave the nation of Panama eventual control of the Panama Canal.
The United States acquired the rights to build and operate the Panama Canal
during the first years of the 20th century. The Hay-Herrán Treaty, negotiated
with the nation of Colombia in 1903, allowed the United States rights to the
land surrounding the planned canal. The Colombian Senate refused to ratify the
treaty, but Panama was in the process of seceding from Colombia. President
Theodore Roosevelt therefore supported the cause of Panamanian independence with
the Canal in mind. His support paid off, and on November 18, 1903, the United
States signed the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty, establishing permanent U.S. rights
to a Panama Canal Zone that stretched across the isthmus. Phillippe-Jean
Bunau-Varilla, the Panamanian representative, entered the negotiations without
formal consent from the Panamanian government, and had not lived in Panama for
seventeen years. The Canal opened in 1914, but many Panamanians questioned the
validity of the treaty.
The Torrijos-Carter Treaties allowed the United States to defend itself from
charges of imperialism made by Soviet-aligned states. While the treaties
represented a great moment of cooperation between the United States and Panama,
relations between the two countries grew contentious after the death of Torrijos
in 1981. In December of 1989, President George H.W. Bush ordered an invasion of
Panama to remove Panamanian leader Manuel Noreiga from power. By 1999, however,
relations had grown more peaceful and the Canal was turned over to the
Panamanians who have administered it ever since.