No. 566 from the High Commissioner for Canada, London to the Secretary of State for External Affairs

March 20, 1953. The High Commissioner followed up on his message No. 565 to the SSEA of the same day. A.F.W. Plumptre, a Canadian diplomat, had told Robertson that NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR), proposed a “new order” for Allied aircraft that would “order Allied aircraft to return fire if they are fired on by Russian aircraft.” This proposal was prompted by recent incidents in Germany, including the Lincoln Bomber attack. Robertson learned from British officials that the UK government would likely accept this order, but the British had not yet decided whether the Russians would be notified of this new order or not.