13 March 1969: Memorandum for the Minister - Nixon Administration and ABMs

One day before President Nixon was to make an announcement regarding the future of the Sentinel ballistic defense system, H.B. Robinson, an External Affairs official, penned a memo to the minister, detailing possible implications of the announcement. After the long debates about the Sentinel system, the Disarmament Division’s cautious position won out – as is evidenced in paragraph four of the memo. Ultimately, the Canadians refrained from entering into a command and control system with the United States.

While the Canadians were taking a careful approach, the American debate over the ABM issue had become more heated. While some American experts contended that ballistic missile defence could support arms control (through a run-down of existing stocks of ICBMs), others argued that ABM deployment would escalate the arms race. Robinson cautioned that the Canadians should not try to express a concrete view, or interfere in the debate – nor should they try to influence the views of the Nixon Administration.