https://declassified.library.utoronto.ca/files/original/f267ccc60d35a4e9ae8dd9f667d2b394.pdf 769c7ac800e26632e4fe1166e140a839 PDF Text Text Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act Document divulgue en veAude la Loi sur I'aceis qUinformation PUBLIC STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNMENT REGARDING THE ACQUISITION AND STORAGE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS (OUTSIDE THE HOUSE OF COMMONS) AS OF SEPTEMBER 24, 1962 1. The Prime Minister - Nov. 24, 1960 (Speech to the Canadian Club of Ottawa as found in Statements & Speeches No. 60/41) "We have taken the stand that no decision will be required while progress towards disarmament continues. To do otherwise would be inconsistent, When and if such weapons are required we will have to take the responsibility. The future of Canadians requires that we make that decision which, in the light of the best information we have, represents the maximum security for our country. We have made it equally clear that we shall not in any event consider nuclear weapons until, as a sovereign nation, we have equality of control - a joint control. In other words, this problem Is not one requiring immediate decision. The course to be taken will be determined in light of what happens in connection with disarmament and in the light of events as they transpire and develop in the months ahead." 2. The Prime Minister - August 15, 1961 (Speech in Halifax to the Canadian Weekly Newspapers Association as found in Statements & Speeches No.6l/ll) "There are some in Canada who advocate we should withdraw from NATO in the event that nuclear weapons are made available for the possession and control of NATO. •• • £*• 000390 �Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act Document divulgue en vertu de la Loi sur I'acces a I'information I believe that to .follow, that cau^ie V/ni44 bl? dMfiQVQW to ..the survival of %he forces,of ,NATO that are there now# ahou\|Ui war begin., Andhit.would be dangerous for the .survival of, freedom itself .... Would you in 1961, faced by the overwhelming power of Soviet might in East Germany close to West Berlin with large divisions fully armed,.would you place in the hands of those who guajcdLt.he portals of froodoin nothing but bows and arrows? They would stand against overwhelming power—it is as simple as that." 3« The Prime Minister - Oct.1 6, 1961 On Ootobor 6 Dr. J« S. Thomson presented a petition to the Prime Minister and in a subsequent press interview appeared to attribute certain views to Mr. Diefenbaker. When questioned on these points later the oarae day by tho press, the Prime Minister is quoted as follows! (a) Regarding Dr. Thomson's statement that the Prime Minister "agreed in principle" there should be no spread of nuclear weapons to nations not now armed with them and that Canada should not have nuclear arms in peacetime. (i) "I told the delegation that we accepted the Kennedy declaration that there should be no extension of the Nuclear Club and that the emphasis was on disarmament" (Toronto Telegram, Oct. 6 ) . (ii) "tfe accept the principle that there should be no extension of the nuclear family" (Montreal Gazette, Oct. 7 ) . (b) Regarding the implications of such a policy to the Bornarc: "It means that the Bornarc is in the position it has always been in-~alao the F-104—that thoy are equipped so that if nuclear warheads ..3 000391 �Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act Document divulgue en vertu de la Loi sur I'acces a I'information ... ) „ bbcomo nocossary to bo used in tho event of war they would1 have the launch capacity," ('Toronto Telegram, Oct. 6 ) . fcj Asked how Canada would obtain nuclear warheads in the event of sudden attack„ the Prime Minister replied; "I am not telling you something that, is a matter of security. I am simply telling you.that if there is no extension of the nuclear olufo them all other answers, are available." (Globe & Mail, Oct. 2 ) . 4. The Minister of National Defence - Nov. 1. 1961 (Speaking to the Air Industries & Transport Association as found in prepared text issued by the Department of National Defence) "There is another military problem facing Canada - another that stems from the advance of science and technology. weapons? Are we to arm our forces with nuclear This is a question which some people cannot face dispassionately. It gives rise to emotional dis- turbances which cloud the issue and preclude rational discussion. "I dare say that all of us wish that the atomic bomb had never been discovered. Yet its absence would not reduce the possibility of war. It might even heighten it. Man can destroy himself without the aid of nuclear weapons. "There is no doubt"in my mind that the nuclear retaliatory power of the West has been the key to peace in the past few years. Atomic energy can be a force for good - a force to help maintain peace through fear of it3 almost incomprehensible power. • • .if 000392 �Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act Document divulgue en vertu de la Loi sur I'acces a I'information "It oari a too bo A fo'roo. fop oviX, for dootructlon in tho hando of rucklo-im,. irrouponoiblo and ambitiouo people. Ao tho rooult of inadvortonoo of miscalcula- tion it may be unleashed against the West in an effort to snuff out freedom. Wo must do all that we can to prevent this happening. "Some of our new equipment that is designed to make a potential aggressor fear to resort to nuclear offensive weapons reaches its full potential only when armed with nuclear warheads. I refer to the Honest John, the Bomarc, the CF10/+ and the CF101B. "As the Prime Minister has said, the defensive requirements of Canada and the need for the preservation of security will be the overriding consideration in the mind of this Government in reaching a decision. "But, in view of some of the allegations being made by those opposed to nuclear weapons, I would ask you to consider the following: we rely on the nuclear deterrent maintained by the United States and the United Kingdom to prevent aggression; we have sold uranium to the United States and to the United Kingdom for the production of nuclear weapons; we belong to NATO whose policy is based and has been for several years - on nuclear strategy; a number of our NATO partners have already reached bilateral agreement with the United States concerning the use and storage of nuclear weapons on their own territories without, I might say, in any way affecting their influence and position in the United Nations and in other international councils. "Would possession of nuclear weapons make us more susceptible to attack in the event of war? We must face the fact that we lie between the world'3 two greatest ..5 000393 �Document disclosed under the Access to Document divulgue en vertu de la Loi sur I' -. [) ** protagonists, and, if war coi/iob', wo will bo in tho middle of it whether W<J arc neutralists, isolationists or active support ox's of the We3t; and whether.we are unarmed or are armed with conventional or nuclear weapons." 5* the Minister of National Defence - Nov. 3. 1961 (as reported in the OTTAWA CITIZEN) "Mr. Harkness told reporters here today that there was no urgency as, yet in the government ordering warheads for t,he. Bomaroa, '•since the bases won't be operational for some months'*." "'There is no need to place any orders yet' he said. 'I don't know what the production time is for conventional warheads but wo have said all along that the Bomarc could be fitted with the conventional type'." 6. The Prime Minister - Feb. 24, 1962 During a press conference in Edmonton on Saturday, February 24, 1962, the Prime Minister was asked several questions regarding the acquisition of nuclear arms by Canada. The report contained in THE GLOBE AND MAIL of February 26, 1962 reads in part as follows: "He (the Prime Minister) was asked at an Edmonton news conference whether there was any prospect of a decision on nuclear arms for Canadian forces. He replied by asking this question: "•Should war come, are we going to arm Canadians with bows and arrows?' "Then he said Canada has 65 interceptor aircraft which would be more effective with nuclear weapons. The same applied to the two Bomarc anti-aircraft bases being built in this country. ..6 �Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act Document divulgue en vertu de la Loi sur I'acces a I'information - 6'. "'Should war come,' he said, 'we must have available the necessary instruments.' "A reporterasked whether Canada could get nuclear warheads fast enough from the United States in the event of war If Canada did not already have them. "Mr, Diefenbaker said he could not reply to that for security reasons. But he added he had read a recent report that nuclear warheads could be made available in half an hour to an hour, and indicated there was some credence in this report." 7« The Prime Minister - May 30. 1962 The following is a statement during the election campaign as reported by the VANCOUVER SUN of May 30» '"We took our stand in 1958. The stand which we took on nuclear weapons is one being generally accepted by all the nations in the free world, namely, that there should not be an extension of the nuclear family.' "'That is the stand we took in 1956*. As far as the government of Canada is concerned, we do not intend to have nuclear arms in Canada in time of peace.' "'We oppose the spread of the nuclear club. We will not acquire nuclear weapons for our forces in Canada so long as there is hope East and West can come together for an acceptable disarmament.'" 8. The Secretary of State for External Affairs - May 30, 1962 The following is a statement by the Secretary of State for External Affairs made on CBC television, as reported in The Globe and Mail of May 30, 1962 "'I think we have the second largest air division in the NATO alliance and we have all the equipment necessary to use © v • f 000395 �Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act Document divulgue en vertu de la Loi sur I'acces a I'information "1 " nuclear warheads but we haven't actually taken warheads because we are hoping that it will be possible to prevent the spread of the nuclear club beyond the countries which already have these nuclear warheads.'" 000396 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CDNW01698 Title A name given to the resource "Public Statements by Members of the Government Regarding the Acquisition and Storage of Nuclear Weapons (Outside the House of Commons)" Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived "DEFENCE - Canada-US Arrangements - Acquisition of Nuclear Weapons for Use by Canadian Forces," RG2-B-2, Box 23-24, file D-1-5(f), Library and Archives Canada (LAC). Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Canadian Crown Subject The topic of the resource Nuclear Weapons Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Canada Declassified Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource en Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 24-Sep-62