Roosevelt, Panama, and a credible naval stick

Henry J. Hendrix's Theodore Roosevelt's Naval Diplomacy compares Roosevelt's earlier naval writing with his decisions in office. The canal would allow warships to move between the American coasts, increasing the fleet's strategic flexibility. The excerpt begins with Colombia's rejection of the Hay-Herran Treaty and distinguishes the absence of evidence for an explicit promise to assist the rebels from evidence of military preparations. Hendrix points to the activities of two American army officers, an offshore warship, and War Portfolio Number One, a plan for the active defense of a new Panamanian republic. These preparations complicate an account based only on public policy statements. The passage leaves open questions about the revolt's immediate trigger and the balance between popular support and the influence of business interests.