https://declassified.library.utoronto.ca/files/original/3d4ccd64969664f43ade32a60f62c4c4.pdf 04fd5351755126824d76f99daddac1a8 PDF Text Text . Document disclosed under the /Access to Information Act Decem felt diwulgu een verde laMaisheweenylfordation DEPARTMENT OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, CANADA. F (FILE COPY) NUMBERED LETTER ro. Delegation of Canada to the North Atlantic. Council, . P A R. I. S. FROM: THE UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, OTTAWA, CANADA. Security: NoPL. Date: July. 17,.. 1958. Enclosures: .None Reference: Your . telegram . 1186 . of. May. . 2 Air or Surface MailAir Subject- NATO. Manoeuvres and. Exercises Post File No: Political Implications...... ....... Ottawa File No. 30//06 -/0 50 References According to the summary record of the Council meeting on May 1 representatives agreed to inform the Secretariat which of the exercises "Full Play" on June 3 or "Flame Tide", September 16 - 19, they would like to attend. We assume that nothing further has been done about this and that permanent representatives if they intended to watch any NATO exercise would be planning to visit Greece and Turkey to watch exercise "Flame Tide". We are now wondering whether the current state of Turkish-Greek relations will require the postponement or cancellation of this latter exercise. We also wonder whether, if it is held, the Turkish and Greek Governments will wish the added publicity which would certainly attend the presence of NATO Council Permanent Representatives. We should welcome your views on this. 2. 3. Internal Circulation Distribution to Posts Ext. 18IB (Rev. 2/52) This raises the question of consultation in the Council regarding the political implications of the major manoeuvres and exercises held in various threatres and at various times during the year. It is our understanding that the normal procedure is for the Standing Group Representative to put before the Council any plan for a specific manoeuvre or exercise the possible political implications of which the Standing Group considers calls for political guidance. This procedure was followed, you will recall, in the case of Exercise "Strike Back" last year. However in the case of Exercise "Skaendaek Mist" which formed part of the Exercise "Morning Mist" at the end of September 1954 the initiative to have the political implications looked into came in the first instance from SHAPE through the Standing Group and (in our case) through the Department of National Defence. It was over two months later that the matter was raised in Council. 4. We realize that the procedure since 1954 may have become standard and that the Council looks to the Standing Group to bring to its attention through the SGR any prospective manoeuvres or exercises the political implications of which should be examined and political advice given. So far as we have been able to discover from an examination of the Summary Records of Council /8.).3]s) • • 000923 �Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act " Document divulgue en vertu de la Loi surl’acces a /’information % ' 2 - Meetings in 1958 this has not happened this year. Indeed we find no record on file of the Revised Schedule of Manoeuvres and Exercises for 1958 (SHAPE document AG 1808 OT of March 7) ever having been referred to Council. In retospect it seems to us that it might have been useful if Council had considered the political implications of Exercise "Medflex Fort” for the situation in Lebanon in May. This sixth in the series of "Medflex” exercises might not in normal circumstances have had these implications and, in fact, the holding of the exercise probably did not appreciably influence the course of events in the Middle East at the time. Nevertheless it has been brought to our attention that during the early stages of the disturbances in Lebanon there was considerable comment in Arab radio broadcasts on the exercise, much of which insinuated that NATO or some of its members were attempting to apply pressure on Lebanon’s Arab neighbours. Some Western press reports tended to provide a basis for these complaints, by, for example, referring to extraordinary naval movements, such as the departure of the U.K. components leaving port two days early in order to be near Lebanon in case their "assistance” might be required. We understand there were also reports to the effect that the area of exercise "Medflex Fort” was shifted eastwards from its original planned site. 5. 6. We have not been able to check the accuracy of these reports nor to track down their source in the Western press. Their existence, however, is unfortunate in that whether or not there is any truth in them they serve only to lend apparent substance to charges that are made from time to time in the Middle East of NATO interference in the area. For future reference we should be grateful for any press release or other public information originating in NATO Headquarters about manoeuvres and exercises which have political implications either within or outside the NATO area. 7 As for the question of the examination by Council of the political implications of future manoeuvres and exercises we should appreciate information as to the present procedure and your views as to where the initiative to raise this question should rest. A0 & Original Signed by DOUGLAS LEPAN Under-Secretary of State for External Affairs 000924 � 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/. Title A name given to the resource CDEX (NATO Exercises) 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 CDEX00441 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived RG25, 50115-G-40, "North Atlantic Treaty Organization - Military, naval and air exercises," Part 3, Library and Archives Canada. Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Canadian Crown Subject The topic of the resource Exercises Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Canada Declassified Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource en