Treaty and the Senators
To Vote or Not to Vote:
Initially only 37 senators supported the treaty.
"The anti-treaty campaign struck a chord with significant segments of the public, resulting in great pressure on many Senators to vote against the treaties. In response to conservative appeals, unprecedented numbers of constituents hammered the Senate with a barrage of letters opposing the new canal treaties."- David Skidmore, Jimmy Cater and the Battle over Ratification of the Panama Canal Treaties.
"A compilation of Senate mail by the American Conservative Union showed that some Senators received as many as four thousand communications in a single week, with opposition to the treaties running from 90 to 100 percent." -J. Michael Hogan, The Panama Canal in American Politics-Domestic Advocacy and the Evolution of Policy
See Congressman Daniel Flood's letter to President Carter opposing the treaties.
"The anti-treaty campaign struck a chord with significant segments of the public, resulting in great pressure on many Senators to vote against the treaties. In response to conservative appeals, unprecedented numbers of constituents hammered the Senate with a barrage of letters opposing the new canal treaties."- David Skidmore, Jimmy Cater and the Battle over Ratification of the Panama Canal Treaties.
"A compilation of Senate mail by the American Conservative Union showed that some Senators received as many as four thousand communications in a single week, with opposition to the treaties running from 90 to 100 percent." -J. Michael Hogan, The Panama Canal in American Politics-Domestic Advocacy and the Evolution of Policy
See Congressman Daniel Flood's letter to President Carter opposing the treaties.
"..the President is at this moment 22 votes short of ratification with about a third of the Senate undecided. The purpose then is to persuade the public to persuade the Senate." - NBC News
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"The United States Senate will soon be debating whether these treaties should be ratified." - President Carter
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Convincing the Senators:

- President Carter wrote individual letters to the senators convincing them to vote for the treaty.
- He personally called the senators to get their vote.
- Forty-seven senators went on state sponsored trips to Panama in order to grasp the volatility of the Canal issue.
- Letters were written to Governors to convince the public and in turn convince the states' Senators. See the letter to the New Hampshire Governor from the Carter Administration.
- John Wayne, a prominent actor and Republican supported the Ratification and wrote letters to the senators.
"In winning support for the treaties in this way, he necessarily took himself away from other pressing matters." - Robert A Strong, Jimmy Canal and The Panama Canal Treaties.
"It's hard to concentrate on anything except Panama." - Jimmy Carter, dairy entry March 13th, 1978.
The document below implies that there were daily meetings on the Treaties and their Ratification.
"It's hard to concentrate on anything except Panama." - Jimmy Carter, dairy entry March 13th, 1978.
The document below implies that there were daily meetings on the Treaties and their Ratification.
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