25 September 1959: Draft Unsent Letter to Starnes

Despite these reports and surveys, the misunderstandings continued. In this unsent draft letter to J.K. Starnes (External Affairs), S.F. Clark (Lt. General, Chief of the General Staff) expresses concern over the rearrangement of External Affairs’ Leitrim/Washington circuit. Clark notes that this is “the second time that a unilateral decision has been taken” by External Affairs. He stresses that “a system such as HYDRA serving as it does several departments of the governments of the UK, the US, and Canada requires the full cooperation of all concerned,” and seeks assurances that External Affairs will consult with the Ottawa Wireless Station on any future changes.

A traffic breakdown for the month of January 1959 is included with this letter, showing the total number of message groups sent over the HYDRA system (cable and radio teletype) at just over 2 million.