22 March 1966: Letter from the Under Secretary of State for External Affairs- Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

In this letter to the Deputy Minister of Mines and Technical Surveys, D.M. Cornett, writing on behalf of the Under Secretary of State for External Affairs, emphasized that a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty was of major interest to the Canadian government. In particular, Cornett noted the importance of a test ban treaty for the “political and psychological impetus it might give to further disarmament negotiations, its impact on non-proliferation discussions and its inhibiting effect on the nuclear arms race.” However, Cornett noted that American support for clandestine testing (in part for ABM development purposes) was a serious obstacle to the conclusion of a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Here, we see an emerging Canadian concern that ABMs might negatively impact Canada's diplomatic interest in arms control.