Ready for Business

For publicly deriding Panama as "under the Yankee boot," the Spanish Minister in Panama City, Jose Maria Cavero y Giocorroetea, Duke of Bailen, himself was booted last week. An executive order declared him persona non grata, asked his recall.

President Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia, successor to ousted Arnulfo Arias, might well have used the expulsion order to sum up his five weeks of whirlwind reforms. A report to the people from Panama's new, pro-U.S. President last week would have shown:

> Evidence of "unlimited cooperation" with U.S. foreign policy, to wit: repeal of the Arias-imposed ban on arming merchant ships (there are approximately 125 U.S.-owned ships under Panama registry); promise of "quick and favorable" action on any U.S. requests for air-and naval-base sites.

> Continued effort to rid the republic of subversive interests. Requested was the recall of Eric Cerjack-Boyna, German Embassy attache, described as a "most sinister" influence on Arnulfo Arias. Pro-German stooges of the deposed President were jailed. Semimilitary youth groups were dissolved.

> A housecleaned home front. The Government outlawed a 5% "political tax" on public salaries (fat income source for the Arias National Revolutionary Coalition), has suspended slot-machine gambling (controlled by a small Arias clique).

Semi-official monopolies, established by President Arias on milk, meats, coffee, sugar and other staples, were under investigation.

> A guarantee of both freedom of the press and unrestrained public expression of opinion, promised by the new President last week.

Panama was swinging to the new President. Twenty-five of the National Assembly's 32 members had declared their sup port. The press, including brother Harmo dio Arias' Panama America, was strongly sympathetic. The Central American press generally applauded the change in Government.

But Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia, who came into power in a "legal," bloodless coup last month, still has to operate under Panama's weird, elastic, near-totalitarian constitution. Indicated for the new President was a quiet move to discard the present document (instituted by his predecessor) and return to the republic's original, democratic constitution.

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