Because the whole course of the canal is not at sea level. It crosses a ridge, and was designed around the idea of boats going up and down via locks to get over. So you'd either have to re-excavate the whole thing, or pump hundreds of millions of gallons of sea water per hour up to the elevated points. Easier and more beneficial to protect the watershed!
I have to wonder though if they couldn't retrofit the locks to pump close to 100% of the water used to/from caches. It would no doubt increase energy usage substantially but the concern over water use would be diminished to perhaps epsilon.
Thank you for this important context, James. The contrast between an honorable, thoughtful, serious, considerate, genuinely patriotic, respectful man like Jimmy Carter and the entire gang of deceitful fools about to take office is enough to make a person's head explode. We are about to take a very bumpy ride, and the worldwide consequences will last long after many of us are dead and gone.
I worked at the Smithsonian facilities in Panama’s Zona del Canal for 25+ years. One traveled back and forth on a Boston Whaler outboard from Gamboa to the field station on Barro Colorado Island (a hilltop that became an island when Lake Gatun was formed). We really got a sense from the inside out just how remarkable a feat the canal was. McCullough’s book in the station library was appropriately dog-eared.
We had a ring-side seat, from the diciness of the Noriega years (his prison cell was a stone’s throw from our disembarkation dock to the island) through the increasing realization that the hydrology of the watershed was all important and imperiled by deforestation/development. It’s an ongoing process, but the cooperation toward a fix among all the entities (including a lot of ecologists) that make Panama so uniquely uber-international continues to be heartening. It deserves recognition and appreciation.
Thanks *so much* for this observation. I had not known about your Panama years. We had an aerial tour of the whole watershed, including Barro Colorado from above, then the next day going through much of the same area by boat. The whole situation deserves much more global attention than it receives (or such was my journalistic view.) Will follow up with you to ask more.
Fascinating background of which I was not aware, and even more fascinating about the limitations imposed by rain run-off (and, by implication, climate change). Also, helpful comments! There are a lot of well informed and experienced people hanging out around here. I hope these points get picked up by a wider audience. We need to get some eye-rolling going on in the mainstream press.
I wonder if someone is whispering "immigration" into Trumps ear with regard to Panama. A portion of the migrants heading north to the USA - Mexico border traverse Panama. US control of a strip of land in the middle of Panama would, in Trump's mind, create an insurmountable barrier to those migrants. Alternatively, and more likely, Trump will trade stronger efforts to disrupt northbound migrants for letting Panama keep control of the Canal. "Stronger efforts" might include stationing American troops there to conduct anti-migrant operations.
Mr. Fallows, I have a vague but certain memory that Mrs. Carter made a trip to South America in which she spoke forthrightly about human rights. Did President Carter make a similar trip? I definitely recall that he worked to improve diplomatic relations with Latin America, more than any 20th century president before him, and any president since.
On the first question, that may well be how Trump thinks. In the "actual" world, as you know, the Canal itself has nothing to do with the migrant flow. (The real barrier to northward migration is the "Darien Gap," the stretch of far southern/eastern Panama, stretching down toward Colombia, where the forest is so dense and the mountains so high that the Pan-America highway doesn't go through it. It's an incredibly rich biodiversity realm. Migrant groups have been trekking through it. But the ones that survive are finding other ways north long before they get anywhere near the Canal. Also, the Canal is traversed by a number or normal car-and-truck carrying bridges.)
On the second question, Carter made many such trips. The one on which I went with him to Panama, in 1978, involved several such speeches.
Trump's "deal-making" approach is to announce something outrageously outrageous, then settle for something different, saying that was his intent all along. Suggesting the "deal" he wants is for Panama to agree that the US can station troops in Panama with the mission of thwarting northbound migrants. Even if nothing more than checkpoints on those bridges. His immigration advisors are thoroughly familiar with the Darien Gap (as am I.) If Panama can't won't stop them, we'll do it for them! He's just using the Canal as an opening gambit.
Jim, thanks for reminding us of the historical context. It's probably worth a footnote that the "Chinese" presence at the Panama Canal is due to the operation of ports on both ends of the canal by CK Hutchison Holdings.
La Ka-Shing is one of the greatest businessmen of the 20th century. The list of his accomplishments is astounding. If the Great Orange Narcissist is even aware of it, he would be very jealous of CK Hutchison's ticker symbol in Hong Kong: 0001.HK. Oh, to make the GON even more jealous Li was named a KBE a couple of decades ago.
KBE is Knight of the British Empire, an honor awarded by the monarch for "pre-eminent contribution in any field of activity (usually, but not exclusively, at national level), or in a capacity which will be recognised by peer groups as inspirational and significant nationally and demonstrates sustained commitment."
As I recall, one of Reagan’s sure-fire applause lines during his 1976 campaign was “There’s no such thing as the Panama Canal. There is an American canal in Panama.”
It's interesting to me, in retrospect, how minor the Canal issue seemed to us within the Carter campaign day by day, considering its historical importance. Partly that was because we were busy all day dealing with the more obvious issues and emergencies. The energy crisis, the rise of "stagflation," Vietnam aftermath, and so on. Even the nascent anti-abortion movement, in this first presidential election after Roe.
But I guess it was also because this was so much more toxic an intra-party issue for the Republicans than it was a big Repub-v-Dem issue in the general election. As I mentioned in the post, I actually hadn't remembered that Carter had a remark about the Canal during that debate. I don't think I ever worked on a speech about it. Obviously it was different for those working on the GOP side.
Jim, this is such an important piece of historical context. Trumps’s bullying is stupid Ugly American stuff.
I have a strange but stubborn recollection that while Reagan was beating the drum on the Panama “giveaway,” none other than John Wayne publicly supported Jimmy Carter on the issue of transferring the canal. Does that ring a bell?
Brilliant of you to tie in the eco realpolitik of the fresh water issue. Nice job as always.
RIP President Carter. I’m glad Joe Biden will preside over the public remembrance and not the other guy.
"His main challenger in the primaries was Ronald Reagan, and one of Reagan’s sharpest-edged arguments was that Ford was going to sell out America by giving away the Canal. Years later, when he became president, Reagan (like other presidents, including first-term Trump) lived comfortably with the Panama treaty."
I wasn't around for it, but that kinda sorta sounds like the missile gap election rhetoric and then presidency of Kennedy.
Many thanks. I was among the crowd on a cold day in January 1977 when Jimmy Carter marched to the Capitol. The loud speaker was playing Ray Charles' version of "Georgia on my mind." Memorable.
Not that I ever quibble... but _to_ the Capitol? I thought the famous stroll was post-inauguration ceremony, from the Capitol to the White House?
And since I am in for a penny of quibble :) I have to assume that President Carter took longer than the length of on song to cover the distance (something like two miles) :)
Thanks — we were there that day too. And it was REALLY cold. (I recall seeing National Guards troops using flamethrowers to melt big ice floes on the sidewalk the day before. Maybe I'm imagining that, but it could have been true.)
The memex we know as the web is a fascinating resource :) It tells us the low at National that day was 22F at 0600, with a high of 33 at 1700. Certainly really cold for officially south of the Mason-Dixon line DC, perhaps not for the plains states :) For example, at O'Hare that day the low was 12F with a high of 23.
Flame throwers to melt sidewalk ice sounds like a good way to crack sidewalks. Even just using propane torches rather than napalm flame throwers sounds dicy.
Jim, I am astonished at President-elect Trump huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf who threatened the three pigs with blowing their house down.
His latest huff/puff relates to Panama, Greenland, and Canada. As an historian, I can only ascribe the bizarreness of this trio to total ignorance of historical facts, boredom after a cult dinner gathering at Mar a Lago, and/or the sort of frustration/anger that impels him to throw ketchup at his dining room wall.
The history of the United States and our screwing Columbia out of Panama is brilliantly described in David McCullough’s PATH BETWEEN THE SEAS: PANAMA CANAL 1870-1914. Teddy Roosevelt publicly acknowledged that he took Panama. Building the canal was an engineering miracle during which tens of thousands, including some Americans, died.
As you know, there was long a persuasive case that the US should acknowledge Panamanian sovereignty over the entire canal. To President Carter’s credit, this occurred during his presidency. When George H. W. Bush in 1989 got into a snit over dictator Noriega s treatment of some official Americans in the Canal Zone [Washington scuttlebutt was that Bush, after Reagan, wished to demonstrate that he wasn’t a ‘wimp’], he dispatched maximum force. This was used indiscriminately, causing significant civilian casualties. Noriega, a bad guy involved in drugs (and on CIA’s payroll for many years) was brought back to the US and sentenced to jail.
The major issue regarding the Panama Canal in recent decades relates to its capacity. As container ships have become larger and larger, the canal had to be widened. Since ‘50 million gallons of fresh water’ is required to operate the locks for a single ship, the recent multi-year drought has severely affected canal operations.
While the Panama Canal operators explore long-term ameliorations, currently they must restrict the number of ships that can pass through the canal. Recently, ship owners can pay an extra $400,000 to obtain faster access to the canal.
I haven’t a clue as to what ‘vital US interest’ Trump is referring to, when he threatens to ‘retake’ the Panama Canal (or all of Panama?). The Panama Canal,, like the Suez Canal (constructed by Frenchman de Lesseps, who was overwhelmed by the problems involved with building a canal through unhealthy jungle and with extraordinary engineering challenges), is an international waterway.
The thought that Trump would consider invading Panama is totally ridiculous, even during one of Trump’s undefined ‘concept’ outbursts.
As for Greenland (which I challenge Trump to locate on a blank map,) he blurted out that he wanted to buy Greenland during his first term. Denmark sternly rebuked him, as did Greenlanders.
As for considering Canada as a 51st state, Trump has absolutely no idea of the historical separation of Canada and the United States over centuries. Indeed, back during the American revolution, Benedict’s Arnold was prominent in a military attack to ‘capture’ Canada that ended in catastrophe.
Panama, Greenland, and Canada. I’m going to buckle my seat belt once Trump brings his foreign policy geopolitical ‘brilliance’ back to the White House. I am reminded of that popular TV show IT PAYS TO BE IGNORANT.
I see that Elon Musk is assisting Trump by declaring that the far-right political party is the only salvation for Germany. When I was a Foreign Service Officer, such a statement, particularly made by a very rich billionaire who seemed to be engaged in a political bromance with a president-elect, would have been considered inappropriate involvement in the internal politics of a long-time ally.
Keith, many thanks. Agree with all your points.(And the Greenland and Canada forays — jeesh.)
I'm glad you mentioned David McCullough and that highly praised and highly influential book, Path Between the Seas. As part of his endless self-education, Carter read the book, took copious notes, and made sure to hear from McCullough in person while working on the deal. On the trip to Panama after the treaties were ratified, I got to sit next to McCullough on the plane — he was just as affable and gracious in my experience as he came across in his later role as a public TV host and narrator. Deb and I were fortunate to remain in touch with the McCulloughs for years after that.
Also agree entirely on your closing point about Musk.
Jim Welcome back from Panama. I am physically familiar with Suez, but not the Panama Canal.(My British grandfather, born in Baghdad, was director of customs in the Anglo-Egyptian Protectorate that ended in 1922, but that’s not a story I mentioned while in Egypt. He had a house in Port Said as well as Cairo.)
I was close to David for over 30 years. After his strokes, I wrote him a ‘eulogy’ letter to which his son replied, since, sadly, David could no longer write. When Georgia and I return from our brief holiday in Long Island, I’ll find a copy, which David appreciated and Chris circulated to his family.
I have read almost all of David’s books. When I downsized going to our condo, I only kept books that I intended to re-read. With David, they were BRAVE COMPANIONS—17 marvelous biographical essays—and his Panama Canal book, which was an intriguing mystery superbly told.
As with his other books, David insisted on feeling the geography. Also, he untangled a complex mystery in which America did not shine. His research was impeccable, as was his storytelling.
Regarding Trump and Canada, I was reminded of the Pig War in the 1850s where, because of a pig incident, the Brits and Americans had troops on a small island by the US/Canadian border.. The US commander was Pickett, who subsequently led the awesome and dreadful charge of 15,000 soldiers at Gettysburg on the third day.
Using a Foreign Service phrase (signifying obfuscation), 2025 should be ‘interesting.’
It makes sense that you and David McCullough would have been friends. I love hearing about your experiences with him and the books of his you have kept.
I do not yet have 'Brave Companions.' Have corrected that just now, with an online order.
And I studied the era of the "Know Nothings" in the 1850s. But I hadn't registered the Pig Wars!
Why doesn't the Panama Canal switch to sea water? It's plentiful and will increase as our poles and greenland melt.
Because the whole course of the canal is not at sea level. It crosses a ridge, and was designed around the idea of boats going up and down via locks to get over. So you'd either have to re-excavate the whole thing, or pump hundreds of millions of gallons of sea water per hour up to the elevated points. Easier and more beneficial to protect the watershed!
I have to wonder though if they couldn't retrofit the locks to pump close to 100% of the water used to/from caches. It would no doubt increase energy usage substantially but the concern over water use would be diminished to perhaps epsilon.
Thank you for this important context, James. The contrast between an honorable, thoughtful, serious, considerate, genuinely patriotic, respectful man like Jimmy Carter and the entire gang of deceitful fools about to take office is enough to make a person's head explode. We are about to take a very bumpy ride, and the worldwide consequences will last long after many of us are dead and gone.
Thanks. Yes, bumps ahead.
I worked at the Smithsonian facilities in Panama’s Zona del Canal for 25+ years. One traveled back and forth on a Boston Whaler outboard from Gamboa to the field station on Barro Colorado Island (a hilltop that became an island when Lake Gatun was formed). We really got a sense from the inside out just how remarkable a feat the canal was. McCullough’s book in the station library was appropriately dog-eared.
We had a ring-side seat, from the diciness of the Noriega years (his prison cell was a stone’s throw from our disembarkation dock to the island) through the increasing realization that the hydrology of the watershed was all important and imperiled by deforestation/development. It’s an ongoing process, but the cooperation toward a fix among all the entities (including a lot of ecologists) that make Panama so uniquely uber-international continues to be heartening. It deserves recognition and appreciation.
Thanks *so much* for this observation. I had not known about your Panama years. We had an aerial tour of the whole watershed, including Barro Colorado from above, then the next day going through much of the same area by boat. The whole situation deserves much more global attention than it receives (or such was my journalistic view.) Will follow up with you to ask more.
Could Trump’s blast at Panama have anything to do with the recent reports of the Trump Organization having trouble with the country’s tax authorities?
If we apply Occam's Razor, that is often what these things boil down to.
(But I have no "actual facts" to draw from here.)
Fascinating background of which I was not aware, and even more fascinating about the limitations imposed by rain run-off (and, by implication, climate change). Also, helpful comments! There are a lot of well informed and experienced people hanging out around here. I hope these points get picked up by a wider audience. We need to get some eye-rolling going on in the mainstream press.
Thanks. Appreciate it, and we can all do what is within our power to Get The Word Out on a wide variety of fronts.
By far the best comments I’ve read lately. Thanks, everyone.
I wonder if someone is whispering "immigration" into Trumps ear with regard to Panama. A portion of the migrants heading north to the USA - Mexico border traverse Panama. US control of a strip of land in the middle of Panama would, in Trump's mind, create an insurmountable barrier to those migrants. Alternatively, and more likely, Trump will trade stronger efforts to disrupt northbound migrants for letting Panama keep control of the Canal. "Stronger efforts" might include stationing American troops there to conduct anti-migrant operations.
Mr. Fallows, I have a vague but certain memory that Mrs. Carter made a trip to South America in which she spoke forthrightly about human rights. Did President Carter make a similar trip? I definitely recall that he worked to improve diplomatic relations with Latin America, more than any 20th century president before him, and any president since.
On the first question, that may well be how Trump thinks. In the "actual" world, as you know, the Canal itself has nothing to do with the migrant flow. (The real barrier to northward migration is the "Darien Gap," the stretch of far southern/eastern Panama, stretching down toward Colombia, where the forest is so dense and the mountains so high that the Pan-America highway doesn't go through it. It's an incredibly rich biodiversity realm. Migrant groups have been trekking through it. But the ones that survive are finding other ways north long before they get anywhere near the Canal. Also, the Canal is traversed by a number or normal car-and-truck carrying bridges.)
On the second question, Carter made many such trips. The one on which I went with him to Panama, in 1978, involved several such speeches.
Trump's "deal-making" approach is to announce something outrageously outrageous, then settle for something different, saying that was his intent all along. Suggesting the "deal" he wants is for Panama to agree that the US can station troops in Panama with the mission of thwarting northbound migrants. Even if nothing more than checkpoints on those bridges. His immigration advisors are thoroughly familiar with the Darien Gap (as am I.) If Panama can't won't stop them, we'll do it for them! He's just using the Canal as an opening gambit.
Jim, thanks for reminding us of the historical context. It's probably worth a footnote that the "Chinese" presence at the Panama Canal is due to the operation of ports on both ends of the canal by CK Hutchison Holdings.
La Ka-Shing is one of the greatest businessmen of the 20th century. The list of his accomplishments is astounding. If the Great Orange Narcissist is even aware of it, he would be very jealous of CK Hutchison's ticker symbol in Hong Kong: 0001.HK. Oh, to make the GON even more jealous Li was named a KBE a couple of decades ago.
What is a KBE?
KBE is Knight of the British Empire, an honor awarded by the monarch for "pre-eminent contribution in any field of activity (usually, but not exclusively, at national level), or in a capacity which will be recognised by peer groups as inspirational and significant nationally and demonstrates sustained commitment."
https://honours.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/about/orders-and-medals/
Thanks! That is good to know.
Great point! Wish I had thought to include this, and glad that you brought it up.
As I recall, one of Reagan’s sure-fire applause lines during his 1976 campaign was “There’s no such thing as the Panama Canal. There is an American canal in Panama.”
Yes, I think that's right.
It's interesting to me, in retrospect, how minor the Canal issue seemed to us within the Carter campaign day by day, considering its historical importance. Partly that was because we were busy all day dealing with the more obvious issues and emergencies. The energy crisis, the rise of "stagflation," Vietnam aftermath, and so on. Even the nascent anti-abortion movement, in this first presidential election after Roe.
But I guess it was also because this was so much more toxic an intra-party issue for the Republicans than it was a big Repub-v-Dem issue in the general election. As I mentioned in the post, I actually hadn't remembered that Carter had a remark about the Canal during that debate. I don't think I ever worked on a speech about it. Obviously it was different for those working on the GOP side.
Jim, this is such an important piece of historical context. Trumps’s bullying is stupid Ugly American stuff.
I have a strange but stubborn recollection that while Reagan was beating the drum on the Panama “giveaway,” none other than John Wayne publicly supported Jimmy Carter on the issue of transferring the canal. Does that ring a bell?
Brilliant of you to tie in the eco realpolitik of the fresh water issue. Nice job as always.
RIP President Carter. I’m glad Joe Biden will preside over the public remembrance and not the other guy.
Dan, yes, thanks. You're right about John Wayne. I forgot to mention him!
I assume that Canada, Greenland, Panama is kayfabe to balance when he actually gives Alaska back to Putin.
Well done.
"His main challenger in the primaries was Ronald Reagan, and one of Reagan’s sharpest-edged arguments was that Ford was going to sell out America by giving away the Canal. Years later, when he became president, Reagan (like other presidents, including first-term Trump) lived comfortably with the Panama treaty."
I wasn't around for it, but that kinda sorta sounds like the missile gap election rhetoric and then presidency of Kennedy.
Yes, good comparison.
Thanks for this. Ammunition for use in dealing with the ignoramuses.
Appreciate it.
Many thanks. I was among the crowd on a cold day in January 1977 when Jimmy Carter marched to the Capitol. The loud speaker was playing Ray Charles' version of "Georgia on my mind." Memorable.
Not that I ever quibble... but _to_ the Capitol? I thought the famous stroll was post-inauguration ceremony, from the Capitol to the White House?
And since I am in for a penny of quibble :) I have to assume that President Carter took longer than the length of on song to cover the distance (something like two miles) :)
Thanks — we were there that day too. And it was REALLY cold. (I recall seeing National Guards troops using flamethrowers to melt big ice floes on the sidewalk the day before. Maybe I'm imagining that, but it could have been true.)
The memex we know as the web is a fascinating resource :) It tells us the low at National that day was 22F at 0600, with a high of 33 at 1700. Certainly really cold for officially south of the Mason-Dixon line DC, perhaps not for the plains states :) For example, at O'Hare that day the low was 12F with a high of 23.
Flame throwers to melt sidewalk ice sounds like a good way to crack sidewalks. Even just using propane torches rather than napalm flame throwers sounds dicy.
Jim, I am astonished at President-elect Trump huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf who threatened the three pigs with blowing their house down.
His latest huff/puff relates to Panama, Greenland, and Canada. As an historian, I can only ascribe the bizarreness of this trio to total ignorance of historical facts, boredom after a cult dinner gathering at Mar a Lago, and/or the sort of frustration/anger that impels him to throw ketchup at his dining room wall.
The history of the United States and our screwing Columbia out of Panama is brilliantly described in David McCullough’s PATH BETWEEN THE SEAS: PANAMA CANAL 1870-1914. Teddy Roosevelt publicly acknowledged that he took Panama. Building the canal was an engineering miracle during which tens of thousands, including some Americans, died.
As you know, there was long a persuasive case that the US should acknowledge Panamanian sovereignty over the entire canal. To President Carter’s credit, this occurred during his presidency. When George H. W. Bush in 1989 got into a snit over dictator Noriega s treatment of some official Americans in the Canal Zone [Washington scuttlebutt was that Bush, after Reagan, wished to demonstrate that he wasn’t a ‘wimp’], he dispatched maximum force. This was used indiscriminately, causing significant civilian casualties. Noriega, a bad guy involved in drugs (and on CIA’s payroll for many years) was brought back to the US and sentenced to jail.
The major issue regarding the Panama Canal in recent decades relates to its capacity. As container ships have become larger and larger, the canal had to be widened. Since ‘50 million gallons of fresh water’ is required to operate the locks for a single ship, the recent multi-year drought has severely affected canal operations.
While the Panama Canal operators explore long-term ameliorations, currently they must restrict the number of ships that can pass through the canal. Recently, ship owners can pay an extra $400,000 to obtain faster access to the canal.
I haven’t a clue as to what ‘vital US interest’ Trump is referring to, when he threatens to ‘retake’ the Panama Canal (or all of Panama?). The Panama Canal,, like the Suez Canal (constructed by Frenchman de Lesseps, who was overwhelmed by the problems involved with building a canal through unhealthy jungle and with extraordinary engineering challenges), is an international waterway.
The thought that Trump would consider invading Panama is totally ridiculous, even during one of Trump’s undefined ‘concept’ outbursts.
As for Greenland (which I challenge Trump to locate on a blank map,) he blurted out that he wanted to buy Greenland during his first term. Denmark sternly rebuked him, as did Greenlanders.
As for considering Canada as a 51st state, Trump has absolutely no idea of the historical separation of Canada and the United States over centuries. Indeed, back during the American revolution, Benedict’s Arnold was prominent in a military attack to ‘capture’ Canada that ended in catastrophe.
Panama, Greenland, and Canada. I’m going to buckle my seat belt once Trump brings his foreign policy geopolitical ‘brilliance’ back to the White House. I am reminded of that popular TV show IT PAYS TO BE IGNORANT.
I see that Elon Musk is assisting Trump by declaring that the far-right political party is the only salvation for Germany. When I was a Foreign Service Officer, such a statement, particularly made by a very rich billionaire who seemed to be engaged in a political bromance with a president-elect, would have been considered inappropriate involvement in the internal politics of a long-time ally.
Keith, many thanks. Agree with all your points.(And the Greenland and Canada forays — jeesh.)
I'm glad you mentioned David McCullough and that highly praised and highly influential book, Path Between the Seas. As part of his endless self-education, Carter read the book, took copious notes, and made sure to hear from McCullough in person while working on the deal. On the trip to Panama after the treaties were ratified, I got to sit next to McCullough on the plane — he was just as affable and gracious in my experience as he came across in his later role as a public TV host and narrator. Deb and I were fortunate to remain in touch with the McCulloughs for years after that.
Also agree entirely on your closing point about Musk.
Jim Welcome back from Panama. I am physically familiar with Suez, but not the Panama Canal.(My British grandfather, born in Baghdad, was director of customs in the Anglo-Egyptian Protectorate that ended in 1922, but that’s not a story I mentioned while in Egypt. He had a house in Port Said as well as Cairo.)
I was close to David for over 30 years. After his strokes, I wrote him a ‘eulogy’ letter to which his son replied, since, sadly, David could no longer write. When Georgia and I return from our brief holiday in Long Island, I’ll find a copy, which David appreciated and Chris circulated to his family.
I have read almost all of David’s books. When I downsized going to our condo, I only kept books that I intended to re-read. With David, they were BRAVE COMPANIONS—17 marvelous biographical essays—and his Panama Canal book, which was an intriguing mystery superbly told.
As with his other books, David insisted on feeling the geography. Also, he untangled a complex mystery in which America did not shine. His research was impeccable, as was his storytelling.
Regarding Trump and Canada, I was reminded of the Pig War in the 1850s where, because of a pig incident, the Brits and Americans had troops on a small island by the US/Canadian border.. The US commander was Pickett, who subsequently led the awesome and dreadful charge of 15,000 soldiers at Gettysburg on the third day.
Using a Foreign Service phrase (signifying obfuscation), 2025 should be ‘interesting.’
It makes sense that you and David McCullough would have been friends. I love hearing about your experiences with him and the books of his you have kept.
I do not yet have 'Brave Companions.' Have corrected that just now, with an online order.
And I studied the era of the "Know Nothings" in the 1850s. But I hadn't registered the Pig Wars!
Always a breath of fresh air when Jim takes on a subject. Thanks for these comments!
Tom, thanks! When you are traveling, highly recommend going to see Panama.