over the period between 1959 and 1964. It led to series of incidents of civil unrest. The flag desecration incident, despite conflicting claims, sparked antiracial sentiments and angry crowds formed along the fenced border between Panama City and the Canal Zone. According to Jackson (1999) at several points demonstrators stormed into the zone, planting Panamanian flags and began to tear down the fence creating gaps in front of the US District Court and several other spots along the fence. Canal Zone police responded firing shots and tear-gassing protesters pulling or climbing on the fence. The riots left four Americans and twenty-two Panamanians dead. The day, January 9, is marked in Panama as Martyrs’ Day and is a national holiday. These events compelled President Roberto Chiari to take the historic decision to break diplomatic relations with the United States. Although the diplomatic relations between Panama and the United States were re-established on April 3, 1964, through the joint declaration Moreno-Bunker, events led to the resentment of Panamanians. U.S. President Jimmy Carter, stipulated joint administration of the Canal starting in 1979. Pushed by internal political turmoil, supported by external international organizations such as the United Nations and the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries over the years and after a number of treaties the Republic of Panama was assumed the total jurisdiction and operational control over the Canal on December 31, 1999. Controversy The existence of a fence remains a controversy. Photographic evidence such as the cover of Life magazine on January 24, 1964 and the www.criticalpast.com video "Border between Republic of Panama and Panama Canal Zone" and many other aerial photographs are proofs that there was no physical barrier between the Canal Zone and Panama, and one could simply walk, drive, or otherwise move between the two at will with no impediments, checkpoints, gates or similar encumbrances. Several search engines produces no photograph of a border gate between Panama and the Canal Zone, nor a fence along the 45-mile border, despite some articles claiming the existence of such structures including that of, according to Jackson (1999), on January 17, a Panama Canal Company work crew rebuilt the fence after at several points, demonstrators planted Panamanian flags on and began to tear down what they called the "fence of shame", creating gaps downhill from the United States district court, Gorgas Hospital, and many residences and government offices, as well as in several other spots