https://declassified.library.utoronto.ca/files/original/7543eedacc84c47b34322c01000f136f.pdf 131c738c614585870100a9975f7541d9 PDF Text Text Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act \ j Document divulgue en vertu de la Loi sur I'acces a I'information DEPARTMENT OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, CANADA. NUMBERED LETTER TO: THE UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, OTTAWA, CANADA. FROMTHE CANADIAN AMBASSADOR, WASHINGTON. Security: SECRET No: Z^p?.4T.., Date: .9?*?!?*?..?.>. ASlkl Enclosures: Air or Surface Mail:. C o u r i e r Reference: Subject-Vi s i t A ° P: "? .*.. Str»ateglc _ Ai r _ Command j _ Post File No: R e f u e l i n g over Canadian t e r r i t o r y . Ottawa File No. 6"o / f $ ___ • I References -7— „. T 6c - i>A. \ 2 —--_-— .5- —•--—-— 6 7 _JL ___-«_._- & < -o >A Last week, by arrangement made through the Air Attache, I visited the headquarters of the U.S.A.F. Strategic Air Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, and the headquarters of the Second Air Force at Barksdale. Air Force Base, Shreveport, Louisiana. I was accompanied by Air Commodore R. A. Cameron, as well as two Air Force Officers (Group Captain Lane, Director of Air Plans and Programmes, Ai$> Force Headquarters, Ottawa, and Squadron Leader Geddes, Armament Officer, Canadian Joint Staff, Washington) who took the opportunity which my visit accorded, to participate in the briefings which were arranged for the occasion. The visit to Omaha took place October 2 to 3; that to Shreveport, October 3 to L\.. 10 jQCt 1 1 1956 Internal Circulation Distribution to Posts P From my own point of view, and I believe from that of the Air Attache and the R.C.A.F. Officers who accompanied us, both vists were useful. At SAC headquarters we were received by the Commander in Chief, General Curtis E. LeMay, who participated in each item of our programme, including the briefings which had been arranged for us. Similarly at the headquarters of the Second Air Force, the Commander, Major General George Mundy, went to considerable personal trouble to see that the time we had with him was most efficiently employed. I am asking Air Commodore Cameron to prepare a brief memorandum touching upon the principal points with which we were impressed during these visits. I understand from him that nothing much emerged which was not already known to the R.C.A.F. with regard to the operation of the SAC organization. Nevertheless, I believe that a summary report will be of interest to you. There are only two points which I wish to make in this letter, first, to record my own impression of the very high standard of efficiency and morale achieved and maintained by this unique force under the dynamic direction of its remarkable Commander in Chief. Whatever may be felt about the employment or non-employment of SAC, we should be in no doubt that this great "deterrent", upon which the free world relies, is a most potent and ready weapon. The second point is of more peculiar interest to Canada. At present, and presumably for some years to come, the principal carrier for the nuclear weapon will be the U.S.A.F. 's B-i+7. This is a so-called "medium" bomber. But the U.S.A.F. have so developed the technique 000064 Ext. 182A (Rev. 2/52) �Document disclosed under the Access tO/lnformttfion\Act Document divulgue en vertu de la Loi stfr I'afce^^^tformatioj^ **s - r; f JI i . , M i '. ' ,' o'" )>'• 000065 �Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act Document divulgue en vertu de la Loi sur I'acces a I'information -2- of air refueling that its range has been effectively extended to return inter-continental missions anywhere in the world. We were left in no doubt that in this process the use of Canadian bases for refueling was.© most important. Presently refueling in the regular large scale and long range exercises, in which all SAC bombers participate, is done from two Canadian bases Harmon-Field and Goose Bay. It is, as you know, the desire of the United States authorities to adapt some nine other fields in Canada to such operations and I understand that the joint survey recently conducted by the U.S.A.F, and R.C.A.F. is presently under consideration by the Minister of National Defence. In our briefings, both at Omaha and Shreveport, great emphasis was put upon the immensely increased effectiveness which SAC could achieve by extending this North American refueling capability by the use of these additional Canadian facilities. I believe that the next meeting of the Permanent Joint Board on Defence is to be held in Omaha, and I have no doubt the same point will be strongly stressed with the Canadian Section. When I add that my final experience at Barksdale was a flight in a B-ij.7 for her refueling operation you may be confirmed in thinking that I was indeed greatly impressed. The protection of the strategic deterrent in North America is, as I understand it, one of the objectives of Canadian defence policy. For one who had previously been associated principally with the more precisely defensive side of our military alliance with the United States, the experience here reported on was impressive. I believe that it might be useful for other Canadian officials to take advantage of a similar opportunity and it is obvious that General LeMay is quite genuine, for somewhat obvious reasons, in his expressed willingness to arrange such visits at any time. A. D. P. Heeney. \ • � Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. 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 CDAC01779 Title A name given to the resource Telegram from the Canadian Ambassador to the US to External Affairs Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 10/9/1956 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived RG25-A-3-b, Volume number: 5910, File number: 50195-40, pt 1 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource LAC Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Canadian Crown Subject The topic of the resource SAC Refuelling Facilities 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