https://declassified.library.utoronto.ca/files/original/db024a3741d301faafec6e5b1d9bfc72.pdf 7ac3a79618931d854a0a1c885e105b0c PDF Text Text Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act Document divulgue en vertu^} la Loi sur I'accis/rfinformatipn 2-3- <^^t copy. &o.,<.o/-~^ FM LDN NOV 18/58 TOPSEC TO EXTERNAL 4 3 0 6 OPIMMEDIATE INFO TT CCOS FM OTT INFO WASHDC RtF YOUR TEL DL924 NOV 12 COMBINED POLICY COMMITTEE WE SAW SIR RICHARD POWELL,PERMANENT SECRETARY IN THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE,YESTERDAY AFTERNOON. 2 , SIR RICHARD FIRST GAVE US AN OUTLINE OF THE BACKGROUND OF THE PROPOSAL TO REVIVE THE COMBINED POLICY COMMITTEE WHICH GENERALLY CONFORMED WITH THE ACCOUNT GIVEN BY JOHN ROPER TO OUR EMBASSY IN WASHDCC WASHDC TEL 2 7 3 8 N0V6).THE PROPOSAL HAD ITS ORIGIN IN THE CONCEPT OF"INTEROEPENDENCE"PROCLAIMED BY PRESIDENT EISENHOWER AND PRIME MINISTER MACMILLAN IN OCT/57 AND IN SUBSEQUENT RELATED DEVELOPMENTS.ITS MAIN OBJECTIVE WAS TO PROVIDE AN UMBRELLA TO THE VARIOUS FORMS OF CO-OPERATION AMONG THE USA,THE UK AMD CANADA IN MILITARY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT,BOTH NUCLEAR AND NON-NUCLEAR,IN WHICH THE THREE COUNTRIES HAD HUTUAL INTERESTS.THE REVIVAL OF THE CPC HAD THE ADVANTAGE OF OBVIATING THE DIFFICULTIES WHICH THE SETTING UP OF NEW MACHINERY WOULD CREATE.SIR RICHARD CONCURRED IN OUR OBSERVATION THAT THE PROPOSAL . WAS A NATURAL ONE TO ADVANCE AT THIS STAGE OF THE EVOLUTION OF TRIPARTITE CO-OPERATION AS IT WAS BEING AFFECTED BY CONSIDERATIONS OF "INTERDEPENDENCE," 3.AT VARIOUS POINTS DURING OUR CONVERSATION,SIR RICHARD REITERATED, AS I F TO MEET ANY PREOCCUPATIONS WHICH WE MIGHT HAVE,THAT THE FUNCTIONS OF THE CPC WOULD BE LIMITED TO"RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT."WE DONT THINK THE USA AND UK HAVE ANY MOTIVES OTHER THAN THE AVOWED AND APPARENT ONES. 4.WE ASKED SIR RICHARD WHETHER IT WAS CONTEMPLATED THAT THE CPC MIGHT EVENTUALLY CONCERN ITSELF WITH DEFENCE PRODUCTION.HE COMMENTED THAT THE USA AND UK HAD INCONCLUSIVELY DISCUSSED THIS IDEA DURING THE PREPARATION OF THE USA DRAFT AIDE MEMOIRE.HE UNDERSTOOD,HOOWEVER, THAT MR PEARKE3 DURING A RECENT V I S I T TO WASHDC,HAD LAID THE GROUNDS FOR GREATER CANADIAN-AMERICAN CO-OPERATION IN THE FIELD OF DEFENCE PRODUCTION.USA AUTHORITIES HAD SINCE THEN SHOWN A REVEWED INTEREST IN BRINGING SUCH CO-OPERATION ON A TRIPARTITE BASIS WITHIN THE FRAME_ 000033 £•' - �Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act Document divulgue en vertu de la Loi sur I'acces a I'information PAGE TWO 4 3 0 6 WORK OF THE REVISED CPC.HOWEVER,THE INITIATIVE IN THfS REGARD RESTED WITH THE USA. 5.WE REMARKED THAT THE PROPOSED MEMBERSHIP OF THE CPC WAS RATHER IMPRESSIVE AND WONDERED IN PARTICULAR WHETHER THE INCLUSION OF THE THREE FOREIGN MINISTERS HAD ANY SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE.SIR RICHARD RECALLED THAT FOREIGN MINISTERS WERE ORIGINAL MEMBERS OF THE CPC.THEY HAD BEEN RETAINED IN THE REVIVED CPC BECAUSE OF THEIR GENERAL POLITICAL RESPONSIBILITY,AS REPS OF THE THREE HEADS OF GOVT,FOR ALL MATTERS CODING WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF"INTERDEPENDENCE."IN PRACTICE,HOWEVER, SINCE MOST OF THE FUNCTIONS TO BE ENTRUSTED TO THE CPC AND TO ITS SUBORDINATE GROUPS WERE OF A TECHNICAL AND MILITARY CHARACTER,THE FOREIN MINISTERS WOULED ONLY EXCEPTIONALLY BE EXPECTED TO ATTEND THE R_ © MEETINGS.IT WAS SIR RICHARD'S VIEW FURTHERMORE THAT SUCH MEETINGS WOULD NOT BE FREQUENT.IN HIS OPINION,THE VERY EXISTENCE OF THE COWITTEE.TO WHICH CONFLICTS COULD BE REFERRED AS A LAST RESORT,WOULD ACT AS AN INDUCEMENT WITHIN THE SUBORDINATE GROUPS TO FIND GENERALLY ACCEPTABLE SOLUTIONS TO THEIR PROBLEMS,THE CPC WOULD BE CALLED UPON TO EXPRESS AN OPINION ONLY IN CASES INVOLVING SERIOUS MATTERS OF POLICY AND PRINCIPLE.IT I S PERHAPS SIGNIFICANT THAT SIR RICHARD REPEATEDLY DESCRIBED THE CPC IN THIS CONTEXT AS"A COURT OF REFERENCE."HE CONFIRMED THAT THE UK ATTACHED PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE TO THE ROLE WHICH THE SEC RZTARY OF STATE COULD PLAY IN RESOLVING DIFFERENCES WITHIN THE USA ADMINISTRATION HAMPERING EFFECTIVE TRIPARTITE CO-OPERATION. 6.WE WONDERED WHETHER THE NATO COUNTRIES,WITH THE POSSIBLE EXCEPTION OF FRANCE,WOULD PROBABLY REGARD THE REVIVAL OF THE CPC AS A NATURAL STEP INSOFAR AS ITS NUCLEAR FUNCTIONS WERE CONCERNED BUT MIGHT NOT SO READILY UNDERSTAND THE EXTENSION OF ITS ACTIVITIES INTO THE NONNUCLEAR FIELDS.SIR RICHARD THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE MET IF AS WAS INTENDED THE REVISED TERMS OF REF OF THE CPC REMAINED SECRET. 7.WE A S * © SIR RICHARD WHETHER THE UK HAD SUBMITTED ITS OWN COMMENTS ON THE USA DRAFT AIDE MEMOIRE.SIR RICHARD REPLIED THAT THE UK HAD BEEN IN CLOSE TOUCH WITH THE USA AUTHORITIES DURING THE DRAFTING OF THE AIDE MEMOIRE.THE DOCUMENT,WHILE NOT STRICTLY SPEAKING A JOINT ONE, }ftD IN FACT BEEN AGREED BY THE UK BEFORE BEING PRESENTED TO THE CAN* 000034 �Document divulgue en vertu de la Loi sur I'acces a {'information PAGE THREE 4 3 0 6 8HANS.THE COMMENTS OF THE CANADIAN AUTHORITIES WERE NOW AWAITED BEFORE FURTHER PROGRESS COULD BE MADE. 8.BEF0RE TAK iNG LEAVE,WE INFORMED SIR RICHARD THAT WE HAD AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE FO FOR THE FOLLOWING DAY AND SOUGHT HIS ADVICE ON WHETHER WE SHOULD ALSO SEE SOMEONE IN THE ATOMIC ENERGY AUTHORITY. SIR RICHARD POINTED OUT THAT THE SUBJECT OF THE CPC HAD SO FAR BEEN ALMOST ENTIRELY HANDLED BY HIS OWN MINISTRY AND HE DOUBTED WHETHER AN APPROACH TO THE AEA WOULD BE PROFITABLE.THE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY OF THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE FOR THIS PROJECT I S PERHAPS AS GOOD AN INDICATION AS ANY OF THE SCOPE WHICH UK AUTHORITIES INTEND TO CONFER UPON THE CPC'S ACTIVITIES AND OF THE OBJECTIVES WHICH THEY ARE PURSUING IN PROMOTING ITS RDVIVAL. 000035 � 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 CDNW05280 Title A name given to the resource CDNW05280 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived "RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (SCIENTIFIC) - Atomic Energy - Combined Policy Committee," RG2-B-2, Box 72, file R-100-1(a)-1, 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