20 January 1967: Letter from Vice Chief of the Defence Staff to the Under Secretary

Even after American assurances of consultation, Canada's military officers continued to stress their interest in American ABMs. In this letter to the Under Secretary of State for External, an officer working for the Vice Chief of Defence Staff argued that Canada should be “kept in the picture” on U.S. intentions, as deployment of an ABM system would likely involve Canadian airspace, and could even perhaps involve Canadian participation if the Americans decided not to move forward on the program.

The author also stressed that any immediate American decision on deployment should be “discouraged,” as any hasty move could “spark a further escalation in the arms race and create an adverse atmosphere for consideration of any of the arms control measures which have been proposed.”