Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty

The Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty was a treaty signed on November 18, 1903, by the United States and Panama. It established the Panama Canal Zone and provided for the subsequent construction of the Panama Canal by the United States. The treaty takes its name from its two primary negotiators, John Hay, the United States secretary of state, and Philippe-Jean Bunau-Varilla, a French national who acted as the diplomatic representative of Panama. Its Spanish title is Tratado Hay-Bunau Varilla. The lead of the source article states only these basic facts, so this entry records the treaty's parties, date, purpose and negotiators and leaves later history to further sources.