could be made. Ships would have to go clear around South America. Before missiles were developed, this could have been disastrous in time of war. The United States fleet might have been held up at one side of the canal while enemy ships approached the other side. To forestall such an emergency, work was begun on a new set of locks in 1940. The project was halted in 1942 by the Secretary of War, because the men and money in Panama were needed for defense elsewhere. In all $76,000,000 was spent on the project. It was never finished.