Bouncing Scott

Bouncing is nothing new to 36-year-old Edward ("Ted") William Scott, New Zealand-born editor of the bilingual Panama American. In the '20s he bounced and was bounced about the ring by leading light weights of Europe and Australasia. Bouncing out of the fight business, he caromed from job to job, ended as a reporter.

Working for Bernarr Macfadden's Graphic in New York, he was bounced out of interviews, elegantly by Winston Churchill (when he discovered Scott did not represent the London Graphic}, grimly by Gangsters Irving Bitz and Salvatore Spitale (who did not want to talk about underworld angles of the Lindbergh kidnapping). Last week Ted Scott bounced again -- this time out of the Republic of Panama on a deportation order.

Scott's latest bounce is the result of a fraternal squabble. Owner of the paper and Scott's boss is an ex-President of Panama, Dr. Harmodio Arias, brother to present President Dr. Arnulfo Arias. Dr. Harmodio backed his brother until he took office last autumn, then changed his mind, saying that Dr. Arnulfo planned to revamp the Republic along fascist lines. Aside from ideological considerations, Dr. Harmodio dislikes Dr. Arnulfo's nationalism because he is attorney for big U. S. corporations. Since the election the Panama American has gone after Dr. Arnulfo hot & heavy.

Particularly enraging to President Arnulfo Arias was Scott's sour comment on the present Panamanian regime in his daily column, "Interesting if True," and Scott's viewing-with-alarm in cables to Reuter's and United Press. In November Scott was warned that his dispatches were "tendentious." He continued column and cables, noting "reforms" that gave the President a longer term and power to expropriate foreign-owned property.

Last week a lieutenant of police called on Ted Scott at his office, politely arrested him. On the way to the police station Scott bounced out of a car, ran across a street into the Canal Zone, only to be bounced back by Zone authorities. A writ of habeas corpus that he secured rebounded off a convenient Panamanian statute denying this right to foreigners charged with meddling in local politics.

At week's end, Ted Scott was on a liner headed for New York, satisfied that Panama at least knows the totalitarian way to handle newsmen.

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