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 Mr. HATCH. If the Senator would like me to ask questions now, I have a couple which I believe pertain to this specific point. Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD~. I yield.
 Mr. HATCH. Is it not true also, I ask the distinguished majority leader, that David McCullough also wrote that not only did the Panamanian Government approve these treaties, but that the cabinet representing the Panamanian people approved the 1903 treaty, and then the full, complete Panamanian Governments in 1936 and 1955 reaffirmed modified treaties which took out many of the reprehensible aspects which had been criticized by those who criticized the treaties at the time? So we have had three approvals by the Panamanian Governments of the 1903, 1936 and 1955 combined treaty.
 Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. We have had approval by the Panamanian Governments of modifications of the 1903 treaty. One of those modifications was not only that the payments be increased but also that the United States relinquished its control over some of the lands and watersMr. IIATCHa. And the United StatesMr. ROBERT C. B YR.D. If the Senator will allow me.
 Mr. HATCH. Certainly.
 Mr. ROBERT C. B Yiu [continuing]. Over some of the lands and waters, the use of which had been granted to the United States under the 1903 treaty, which, to me, is a clear point to substantiate the position that I take, to wit, that the United Sates has never had sovereignty-never had sovereignty-over the Panama Canal Zone.
 Mr. HATCH. Will the Senator yield again?
 Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD~. Yes.
 Mr. HATCH. I have to admit that I do not find sovereignty to be that great an issue.
 Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. That is one of the things.
 Mr. HATCH. If I may finish.
 Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. I have the floor.
 Mr. HATCH. The Senator yielded to me.
 Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. I am saying that one of the items in that 1936 treaty was a modification of the 1903 treaty, which modification f avors the Panamanians and recognizes the justice of their cause, and, moreover, underwrites the fact that the United States never was given sovereignty over the Canal Zone in the beginning and does not have sovereignty today.
 Mr. HATCH. If the Senator will yield again, I do not think that sovereignty is the major issue here.
 Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. It is one of the issues.
 Mr. HATCH. Some of my colleagues do.
 Mr. ROBERT C. BYRD. It is one of the issues.
 Mr. HATCH. They may very well be right. But the point is this: The point that I was trying to bring out is that on three occasions, Panamanian officials approved this treaty. It has only been since the 1960's that we have had the major difficulties here with the advent of Torrijos.
 All I am trying to point out is that we should not be led to believe that this was just a total reprehensible situation, where the Panamanians never had any decisionmaking role in the confirmation of these