"Enter Onassis"

 Daily Express - Saturday 25 April 1959

"Last night Panama's President de la Guardia introduced a new name into the mystery - shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis one of the most important canal users and a friend of Roberto Arias, whose firm looks after the Onassis shipping interests in the area. 

President de la Guardia, telling reporters in Panama about an occasion when officials could not contact Dr Arias as ambassador in London, said: "He was probably running around the world with Onassis. If I'd been President (it was before he took office) I'd have fired him".

Meanwhile the revolve allegedly backed by Mr Arias is continuing in the Panama cordilleras. 

The young rebels who only three weeks ago seized some arms and declared war on the regime are still sniping it out with de la Guardia's troops. 

The essential difference between this and other attempts to throw off what young Panamanian hot-heads call "the Yankee yoke" is that this time powerful interests are allegedly behind it". 

After mentioning the involvement of both Fidel Castro and Eisenhower, the article goes on to state, "The Arias friendship with Onassis deepened. The Ariases stayed with the Onassis family in Monte Carlo for Princess Grace's wedding. Soon after that there were reports of an estrangement between Mr. Onassis and the Rainiers, said to have been urged on Prince Rainier by the Americans". 


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