-latin american relations really for the remainder of the 20t 20th century. >> ifill: noel maurer, howto the pan panamanians as to how the u.s. controlled it in the last decades. >> in the last few decades, american control of the canal, it would not be an exaggeration to say the inmates have taken control of the asylum and the organization was almost for the zonians and their families than american-panamanian national interests. efficiency dropped through the floor, problems with drunkenness among canal pilots, jobs staying within families, all the terrible stereotypes of a government-run organization were multiplied five-fold. when the panamanians took it over, and a slow process, you had a couple of really important management reforms. getting serious about drunkenness was one of them. installing halogen lights, having canal traffic instead of two ways where collisions happened, you went one way for 12 hours and another way for 12 hours. so precision and profitability has risen since 1999 and the canal is like a well-run business as potoads to a poorly-run public utility. >> ifill: