On 5 August 1914, the United States and Nicaragua sign the Bryan–Chamorro Treaty — the deal by which Managua grants the US exclusive 99-year rights for an interoceanic canal through Nicaragua and options on the Corn Islands and the Gulf of Fonseca.

Signed by William Jennings Bryan and Emiliano Chamorro, it reflects Dollar Diplomacy and US fear of a rival German or Japanese canal.

A Nicaraguan canal was never built under it; the document nonetheless fed nationalist resentment and was later denounced.

The Permanent Court of International Justice was seized by Costa Rica and El Salvador over sovereignty issues in the Gulf of Fonseca.

For Central American history, 5 August 1914 marks the signing of Bryan–Chamorro.

The text is documented in FRUS / US treaty collections.

The Bryan–Chamorro Treaty of 5 August 1914 remains the milestone of US canal rights in Nicaragua.

Image: Nicaragua; Wikimedia Commons. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: Bryan-Chamorro Treaty. Treaty text: Bryan-Chamorro Treaty (FRUS).