RODOLFO M. LEITÓN
Copyright © 2012 Rodolfo M. Leitón
All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the written permission of the author.
Edited in Spanish by Mía Gallegos Domínguez
Translated by Nikki Settelmeyer.
Cover design: photo taken from the book Panama, the creation, destruction, and resurrection by Philippe Bunau-Varilla. Digitally colored by Rebeca Alpízar
This is a work of historical fiction based on factual events. The names, characters, places and events are a product of the author’s imagination, or have been used fictitiously.
Chapter 31 contains excerpts from the public domain novel, Captain Macklin, by Richard Harding Davis.
Smashwords Edition. ISBN 9781301385065.
www.itookpanama.com
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DEDICATION
For Elke, the love of my life, who encouraged me to write this book.
For Emiliano and Amadeo, who motivate me every day to be a better person.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book was written over the course of many nights, weekends, and some vacation time. The support and understanding of my wife and children were vital and without their constant encouragement, this novel probably wouldn’t exist. It was Elke, who, after listening to me comment several times that someone ought to write a novel about Bunau-Varilla, suggested that I do it myself.
My mother, Ana Victoria, who is an extraordinary painter and oral storyteller, continually encouraged me to complete this project. My father, Rodolfo, taught me by example, the value of perseverance and hard work, which were invaluable in the face of seemingly never-ending research and the synthesis of so much information.
Dailey Wallace, curator of the Theodore Roosevelt Collection at Harvard University; John Armstrong at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio; and Jéremy Barande, from the Office of Communications at the École Polytechnique in France, allowed me access to resources necessary to the materialization of this book.
Frank Arre, from the Unites States Naval History and Heritage Command, kindly contributed photos surrounding the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine to use as illustrations.
In Panama, I had the support of Irina de Ardila, who brought me into contact with Mr. Ricardo López Arias in Barcelona, who shared with me various hard to obtain photos of Bunau-Varilla during his stay in Panama. Also, Rolando Cochez Lara, Administrator at the Roberto F. Chiari Library in Panama, kindly and patiently helped me when I asked on several occasions for his help in acquiring more information.
Magali Lacouse of the National Archives in Paris allowed me access to documents which were extremely important to my investigation, most notably, Bunau-Varilla’s birth certificate. Rebecca Garnier, manager of the Paris restaurant, Le Procope, was kind enough to send me information about the types of food that have been served in her establishment over the centuries.
Gerald Gómez of the Procter & Gamble Company generously devoted time from his busy schedule to help me locate a photo of Harley Thomas Procter in the corporate archives. Jim Sluzewski and Scott Byers of Macy´s Inc., kindly provided historical images to help illustrate the book.
Gabriel Loizillon, the French writer who produced one of the most revealing books about the Bunau-Varilla brothers and the origins of their fortune, kindly corresponded with me on several occasions. Valeria Rocco, descendent of Philippe Bunau-Varilla, patiently listened to some of my ideas regarding this book, made suggestions, and recommended sources of information which were incredibly useful to my investigation.
Daniel Quesada thoroughly reviewed the manuscript and suggested ways in which to greatly improve the content. Mía Gallegos Domínguez helped to polish my modest draft; her assistance significantly improved this novel. Finally, Nikki Settelmeyer did a wonderful job translating my story into English while maintaining the “personality” of the Spanish.