Panama's revolt and the evidence for War Portfolio Number One

The proposed Panama Canal would allow U.S. warships to transfer quickly between the Atlantic and Pacific, increasing the usefulness of the available fleet. Colombia's rejection of the canal treaty put that project in doubt. Henry Hendrix distinguishes the Panamanian revolutionaries' decision to revolt from Roosevelt's response once the uprising began, noting the absence of evidence for an explicit advance promise of assistance. His account leaves open whether the movement represented a broad popular uprising or a smaller group of business and intellectual interests. Military records identify actions by two American army officers and a U.S. warship off Panama, alongside War Portfolio Number One. That contingency plan envisaged American military defence of a new Panamanian republic and provides evidence of preparations beyond the administration's public statements.