Meeting of Consultation with United States Authorities, September 19, 1957

In this document, the Far East Division of the Department of External Affairs shared its objectives with the Defence Liaison (1) Division regarding the upcoming meeting of consultation. Officials from the Far East Division wanted to learn about the US’s current position regarding China. At the same time, they warned against any Canadian commitments regarding the Far East as the new Diefenbaker government did not have any stated policies on the issue. Ultimately, officials in the Far East Division thought it better to see the item on the Far East dropped from the agenda or, alternatively, to release a statement on the reduction of tensions regarding the islands to provide the government with flexibility.