CDKW00172 - Canadian Strategy Begins to Crystallize

By early October, Canadian strategy was beginning to emerge more clearly. Prior to this, any public addresses explicitly indicating sending troops to Korea had been avoided by the prime minister. In this speech, however, Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent rebuked the rumors surrounding Canada’s lack of ground troop commitments, stating “lt has often suggested that Canadians are going to be too busy producing munitions to do any of the fighting. It seems to me Canada's proud record of participation in two world wars is a simple and sufficient answer to any such suggestion.” Even though St. Laurent did not dismiss the possibility of the Special Forces division being sent to Europe—an alternate deployment location that was considered by diplomats and generals alike—there are evident indications in this speech that the Special Forces will be deployed in Korea. St. Laurent noted that there is no active fighting in Europe, and that the most effective contributions in the European theatre would likely be additional weaponry to troops already on the ground. In contrast, the fighting in Korea in October 1950 was certainly active and ongoing for the foreseeable future, as United Nations troops began their counteroffensive in mid-September. Additionally, External Affairs informed the UN that Canadian Special Forces were approved for use in Korea on 26 September, approximately a week prior to St. Laurent delivering this speech to the Royal Military College Club.