The Greatest Lobbying Campaign in History!
In this episode of History for Cocktail Parties, hosts James Ottley and Thornton Kennedy uncover the true-life political thriller behind the Panama Canal. For decades, U.S. leaders planned to dig an interoceanic canal through Nicaragua—until two master lobbyists, Philippe Bunau-Varilla and William Nelson Cromwell, changed history. With intrigue worthy of Hollywood—coded cables, backroom deals, and a volcanic twist—they convinced President Theodore Roosevelt and Congress to buy the failed French canal project in Panama for $40 million. It’s a story of ambition, disaster, and the power of persuasion that reshaped global trade forever.