The journalist David Gonzalez was at the Miraflores locks in Panama on Dec. 14, 1999, to record this milestone for the front page of The New York Times:
“With a choir singing ‘Ode to Joy’ as the prelude, nearly a century of American power and presence along the shores of the Panama Canal symbolically ended Tuesday when former President Jimmy Carter exchanged diplomatic notes with President Mireya Moscoso and said simply, ‘It’s yours.’”
Over the holidays, President-elect Donald J. Trump threatened to retake control of the Panama Canal. And Mr. Carter’s death reminded the public that the transfer in 1999 was counted among his most consequential acts. He signed the necessary treaties in 1977, while in office, then represented the United States at the actual handover 22 years later.
Mr. Gonzalez held on to his press pass for the event (“Actos de Transferencia del Canal a Panamá”) and gave it to the Museum at The Times. (He also donated an early digital camera.) Mr. Gonzalez retired from The Times last year and is currently exhibiting his photographs at Fordham University’s campus in Manhattan.
Reached by email recently, Mr. Gonzalez sounded unmoved by Mr. Trump’s assertions. “It’s settled,” he said about the status of the canal. “As Carter said to Moscoso, ‘It’s yours.’”
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