A New President in Town: Preparing for Changes to U.S. ABM Policy (March-April 1969)

From March to April of 1969, Canadian officials anticipated the new Nixon administration’s stance on ABMs. The documents in this collection demonstrate that while Canada might have refrained from committing to command and control of Sentinel, Ottawa did not want to push the new American administration by forcefully intervening in the American ABM debate. Ultimately, External Affairs advisors recommended that the Minister maintain a flexible stance: he could express concern with the potential negative impact of ABM deployment on arms control, but also acknowledge that there was divided opinion on the matter.