https://declassified.library.utoronto.ca/files/original/9672a5f522d63c6ac7edb3be63058fab.pdf 417878d46cb87e3a78c05522491a52a6 PDF Text Text DEPARTMENT OF EXTERNAL A F F A I R S , CANADA. (DUPLICATE) DESPATCH f'« c r* ' T & THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, OTTAWA, FROM; Security: SECRET. ' 8 i ;3^ M. '58 CANA~„. ~. '..a??.. . ?&8 .F.-STBWWJi .-ft WEWWtftl&X1?. .9$: .$-\*^.<Ja'Pate^7.7Aomry.. ~ ^~ .2.3*..1.958.... in. th-?.Hor.th A.UftnfeiP..Cpunoil.and,.the.;. QEEC, P a r i s * Enclosures: T*.*T Reference: Air or Surface Mail:. . . . A i r . , , . . . . , Subject:..... Row. .Wsap.QttB *. Pc;st File No; Ottawa File No, 5D030-A6-1-UO References I believe it Is desirable to review certain, aspects of th© introduction into HATO of new weapons. Including long-range missiles, because X have run across comments which appear to indicate that certain misconceptions are held in some quarters about these weapons* Internal Circulation Distribution to' Posts "VX- 2* One of these misconceptions relates to their cost. It has been said that the introduction of these weapons will place an intolerable financial burden upon the HATO countries. It is true that these weapons have led to the inflation of the already high United States defence expenditures but that is because they are still in tho research and development stage* The cost of this research and development has been placed upon the already high cost of producing and maintaining the more conventional types of weapons* Uhen w© really get into the missile age we should, in theory at least, bo able to see the possibility of reducing the proportion of national resources devoted to defence* Guided ground-to-air missiles cost less than fighters* atomic-powered missile-launching submarines less than aircraft carriers, and long-range missiles less than bombers* Military men, particularly if they are airmen, will say, however, that this is pure theory and wishful thinking* They will point out that anti-missile defence will bo costly and that when it Is proved effective the missile age will cancel Itself out* There will then be a return to manned aircraft or to the introduction of some even more costly form of offence and defence* 3* The estimates of the cost of installing IHBH's provided by the HATQ military authorities show that these weapons can be introduced into HATO countries at a cost which is surprisingly low in relation to the great deterrent effect of these weapons*. In fact, it Is difficult to envisage any other way in which peace can be assured so cheaply* A squadron of IKDM's consists of 15 missiles with five launching sites or, in other words, three missiles per launching site* The total estimated cost of installing a squadron Is given as ©50,000,000, the greater part of which Is accounted for by tho cost of the missiles themselves* Of this the cost of preparing the five launching sites is estimated at around |2,000,000 per squadron, although "*ttto*l&*M$mlt%G& that this does not include any additional costs for "hardening0 the sites to make them less vulnerable to counter-attack. Presumably, it is only this cost of .. * 2 Ext. 180C (Rev. 2/52) 000690 ' �t.JJJ'j •a* the launching sites that will be chargeable Poreparing HATO infrastructure, *** It is planned initially to introduce ten squadrons of IBBH's Into lurope. This Includes the four squadrons previously planned i&r tho United Kingdom* Twenty squadrons aro considered to bo the opti&asu Xf the estimates of the HATO military authorities are well-founded the total capital cost of introducing twenty squadrons into Europe would b« around one billion dollars* For this investment HATO would derive the deterrent effect of 300 missiles distributed at 100 strategic sites in the mountains of Scotland, France, Italy, Greece and Turkey and capable of reaching military targets in all parts of European Russia except the barren region in the extreme north-eastern corner. 5, It has also been said that the launching sites for IHBM*s will require a large amount of land* Tho estimates of the HATO military authorities, to which I have referred, give 6o acres as the amount of land required for one launching site* This works out at 3©0 acres per squadron* This compares with 3*30 acres or more required for a military airfield* Moreover, such an airfield usually has to be located on land that otherwise oould be utilized for agriculture or other productive purposes. On tho other ftand, the launching sites for XRM-s will be located for military reasons ia relatively remote and unproductive mountainous districts* (sgd) L.&.Vfilgress, Permanent Eepres^ntatlvo. x^ V 000691 � 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 CDNW04021 Title A name given to the resource L.D. Wilgress, Permanent Representative of Canada in the North Atlantic Council and the OEEC, Paris to Secretary of State for External Affairs 391 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived "NATO Cooperation Regarding Nuclear Weapons And Missile Bases (IRBM)," RG24-B-1, vol 21468, file CSC 2108:1, part 2, 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 23-Jan-58