José Antonio Remón Cantera
Encyclopedia
José Antonio Remón Cantera (April 11, 1908 – January 2, 1955), was president of Panama
from 1 October 1952 until his murder by machine-gun fire at a Panama City
racetrack - on 2 January 1955. He belonged to the National Patriotic Coalition
(CNP).
Beginning in 1953, his administration began to negotiate amendments to the Panama Canal treaty with the U.S. administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower
. These negotiations led to an agreement, ratified in 1955, that substantially raised the annual annuity paid to Panama (from $430,000 to $1.9 million) and resulted in the handover of approximately $20 million in property from the Panama Canal
Company to Panama.
General José Remón was the man behind the scenes of several coups that ousted Dr. Arnulfo Arias from power, and arguably the true founder of the social reforming militarism that was later dubbed "Torrijismo" after General Omar Torrijos. "Neither millions nor alms we want justice" was Remón's most memorable statement of principles. Remón went on to be elected President of Panama in his own right but was assassinated on January 2, 1955. The crime was never solved.
The investigations led to the indictment of Jose Ramón Guizado
, Remón's Vice President and successor. Guizado became involved in the affair when Miró accused him of being the mastermind behind the murder. Later, when Miró, the alleged perpetrator of the assassination was acquitted, Guizado
was finally released from jail on December 10, 1957.
Although the crime has never been formally solved, the opinion in Panama that the material killer was Miró remains.
Recently declassified documents from the Central Intelligence Agency
reveal that Remón might have been killed on the orders of Lucky Luciano
over a dispute involving a shipment of heroin, which Remón allegedly stole from Luciano's organization.
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
from 1 October 1952 until his murder by machine-gun fire at a Panama City
Panama City
Panama is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the...
racetrack - on 2 January 1955. He belonged to the National Patriotic Coalition
National Patriotic Coalition
The National Patriotic Coalition was a Panamanian conservative nationalist political party....
(CNP).
Beginning in 1953, his administration began to negotiate amendments to the Panama Canal treaty with the U.S. administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
. These negotiations led to an agreement, ratified in 1955, that substantially raised the annual annuity paid to Panama (from $430,000 to $1.9 million) and resulted in the handover of approximately $20 million in property from the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
Company to Panama.
General José Remón was the man behind the scenes of several coups that ousted Dr. Arnulfo Arias from power, and arguably the true founder of the social reforming militarism that was later dubbed "Torrijismo" after General Omar Torrijos. "Neither millions nor alms we want justice" was Remón's most memorable statement of principles. Remón went on to be elected President of Panama in his own right but was assassinated on January 2, 1955. The crime was never solved.
Investigation of his murder
The circumstances concerning Remón's death were mysterious. During the initial investigation an American, Martin Irving Lipstein, was arrested, but later released when lawyer Rubén O. Miró confessed to the crime on January 12, 1955. Lipstein also had an alibi, with several witnesses having seen him in places far away from the racetrack at which Remón was killed (the Hipódromo Juan Franco), at about the same time.The investigations led to the indictment of Jose Ramón Guizado
José Ramón Guizado Valdés
José Ramón Guizado Valdés was Panamanian politician.He served as First Vice President of Panama from 1952 to 1955 and in that capacity also as President of Panama from January 2, 1955 to March 29, 1955. He belonged to the National Patriotic Coalition ....
, Remón's Vice President and successor. Guizado became involved in the affair when Miró accused him of being the mastermind behind the murder. Later, when Miró, the alleged perpetrator of the assassination was acquitted, Guizado
José Ramón Guizado Valdés
José Ramón Guizado Valdés was Panamanian politician.He served as First Vice President of Panama from 1952 to 1955 and in that capacity also as President of Panama from January 2, 1955 to March 29, 1955. He belonged to the National Patriotic Coalition ....
was finally released from jail on December 10, 1957.
Although the crime has never been formally solved, the opinion in Panama that the material killer was Miró remains.
Recently declassified documents from the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
reveal that Remón might have been killed on the orders of Lucky Luciano
Lucky Luciano
Charlie "Lucky" Luciano was an Italian mobster born in Sicily. Luciano is considered the father of modern organized crime in the United States for splitting New York City into five different Mafia crime families and the establishment of the first commission...
over a dispute involving a shipment of heroin, which Remón allegedly stole from Luciano's organization.