I wouldn't expect Reagan to send in American military force beyond the Canal Zone without consulting Torrijos first. But there would be consequences if the President insisted that the Canal Zone was never going to be returned to Panama. Perhaps not as quickly as I speculated-but rioting and angry rhetoric from Torrijos if Reagan continued to refuse to negotiate seems plausible to me.
February 15th 1978:
Torrijos sends a confidential message to the Reagan administration requesting that American military forces vacate internationally recognized Panamanian territory.
In response to Reagan's comments Gromyko states that the USSR remains committed to the Vladivostok framework for a future Arms Limitation agreement with the United States. Any such agreement with the U.S. is dependent upon Reagan reversing his dismissal of that framework.
"The USSR has not changed positions on the issue of Arms Limitation. Unfortunately the Americans have. Sadly, so long as the United States continues to insist on wholly unacceptable terms any attempt to negotiate an agreement will prove fruitless. It is the sincere hope of the USSR that President Reagan will soon recognize that he has erred in ignoring what his predecessor agreed to in Vladivostok."