https://declassified.library.utoronto.ca/files/original/58638877d630c8fa215e45ac4690af39.pdf b1f393446f30b640ae5fa776fa978a71 PDF Text Text Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act ■ Document divulge en vertu de la Loi surl'acces a I’information Copy No. S of five copies. / d 128 FILE COPY OTTAWA FILE “ 70//0 No WISER Letter No.. 20.......... November 17, 1951* Date •••••••« •«•••.••••••••••■••• SECURITY CLASSIFICATION WISER • TOP SECRET .FROM: THE CANADIAN AMBASSADOR, WASHINGTON, D.O. TO: THE UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, CANADA Mr. Wrong’s teletype Wiser No,..16..Novomber.17,.1951.. consultations on atomlc guestions. -. Subject:..,•, " • British-American conversation wIth * Sir Christopher Steel, Minister at Reference the British Embassy, Washington, November 16th. ■ Copies Referred To....... . No. of Enclosures Post File No 1. .In my Wiser Letter Ho. 15 of September 28th I reported a discussion which took place at my request on September 25th with the British Ambassador toL secure information concerning the more or less parallel consultations which have taken place between the British Embassy and the Department of State on atomic questions. ' In view of the efforts of the U.S. Department of Defense to draw a distinction between flights of the Strategic Mr1 Command of political significance and others, which was reported in my message Wiser No. 14 of November 8th, Mr. Ignatieff had a further talk with Sir Christopher Steel, Minister at the British Embassy, on November 16th to find out what further developments had occurred in the parallel consultations between the British Embassy and the Department of State on atomic questions. 2. In the course of the discussion which took place on November 16th, Sir Christopher Steel' told Mr. Ignatieff that agreement had been reached between the British Embassy and the Department of State on a statement which might be used by Mr. Attlee, to which reference was made in paragraphs 5 and 6 of my Wiser Letter No. 16 of September 28 th. This statement was in two. parts? one, dealing with the use of U.S. bases in the United Kingdom, and the other on the consultations on the circumstances in which the United States might engage in war. Mr. Attlee had been particularly anzious that agreement should be reached before the recent elections in the United Kingdom to enable him to reply to any queries which might be raised on this subject. In fact, it had not proved necessary for Mr. Attlee to make any such statement. 3. Sir Christopher Steel could not give us copies of the texts of the statements, but allowed Mr. Ignatieff to make a note of the essential parts of both the texts. The statement dealing with the use of U.S. bases in th® United Kingdom begins by recalling that U.S. aircraft were first based in East Anglia, with the consent of the ' British Government, at the time of th© Berlin airlift. The statement is very short and indicates that this permission has been continued in the interests of mutual defence. - The important and operative part of the statement comes in the last sentence, which is as follows: "The question of their use /T.e., the U.S* bases in the United Kingdom in an emergenoy naturally remains a matter for joint decision in the light of the circumstances at the time." Sir Christopher Steel said that he had been largely/ 00339 �. ■ ‘ E, xaxon 2 ' * . *74 4 272 . ... . 2. z . . *8 _ . r ", * 5 r Rp t 0 £.4 ' — t2 * ■- z 1 73 ■ - 2* ‘ Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act ■ Document divulge en vertu de la Loi sur-l'acOes'a I'information . 2 - ■ 9 ' WISeR— TOP SECRET — ' 2-0 " A' ' 4 • ■* np -3*..t.* At 5 , 0 r /■ 1 3s : e." . ••; : '- s - g . . MRd* pe S " " : smperp j ’ largely responsible for drafting : this language and thought : •% a J *2" ’ ** ‘ that it clearly precludes the possibility of the United States using the bases in East Anglia for operational . i . ; * purposes without the specific consent of the British 5 ■ 5 : 1 ■■ Government. He said that there was no understanding in ■" . . writing concerning the deployment of atomic weapons or . ; < ’• their components to the U.S. bases in the United Kingdom t or their use for training purposes. 2. . /6t T e y, ■ 7 mmponda ■. t . ddns 0 .7 . le 5 ■ d A separate statement on the continuing consulta1" . tions concerning developments in the world situation has. ■ also been drawn up. It begins by referring to Mr . Attlee's visit .to Washington in November, 1950, and the N Attlee-Truman communique which was issued at theoon- d '' ' clunion of these talks. . The operative part of this . /statement is as follows:0207450 d . i 5 . . . . . . 115//* .. 5. . . . . - . * "Since then we and the Americans have ■ had discussions’ 4. .■ .. from time to time on developments in the world . . ' i 7.4 situation. I would stress thet the evaluations . . " . ©r the situation made by the two governments in * — these discussions must necessarily be tentative and ; subject to change in the light of new developments . : - o that may occur, a We are convinced that by a con- 1 • 6 2 tinuing examination •' of our respective appraisals of * % ■ — developing world situations, the national interests.) ■ .6. - . -,"2 . . of the two countries can best be served." “ v. 2 ." - " • - ■ - ... .. ■ , •’ * .* 2.m ! < . • . .. • - .. + * . • I • - . > , .5 •- . e ” -′ . ... 1 ..2 . . S. 2 y ■■" Apart from reaching agreement on these two . * texts, there have apparently been no further talks between . ■ the British Embassy and the State Department on atomic. .t • 7. -matters .5 ! , t •x d ik "58 ) . 3 . - " s S ".1 -- r.*** * ■ 6.3:."'. Sir Christopher steel observed that these state- ■ . ments, while satisfactory for [the purposes for which they : • : had been intended, namely, to ' enable Mr •... Attlee to reply' \ ' i to queries about the use of U.S. bases in the United•■-": X .: Kingdom in the event that this was injected into the 52 election campaign, would no doubt be reviewed by Mr. ■•” ■ Churchill.. No messages on this question had so far . : been received by the British Embassy in Washington from ,: 0 London. However, it was known that Mr. Churchill would ′ . 2 ' be accompanied to Washington during his .-visit in January ■ . : by Lord Cherwell, who had, been put in charge, of 'the . > atomic programme in the United Kingdom, and it is almost . He certain, therefore, that this will be a matter which he 1 . :. 7: will take up with the President and .other - V. S. • offi ci als • . A Sir Christopher also observed that Mr. Churchill would . be going -on* to Ottawa and' would ■• no doubt wish to - discuss. i.. Government. . .:9)1 ■ " . -■ -5 the Canadian with /a questions atomic '50 . la 2" 07. ■ . ".nii 32 34 fe i . i 3 *" . ommptaa — ommgel o 1.1 : 4 4 /c 71 "*"Yi 5 . ' :4 - : s . . . . * a **. * _ . **r2.*** 2400 0 : " ■ .. m Fpe(Sgd.) GEORGE IGNATIEFF.. 3 s i ojoaride *" ph =. n A8.. 7 0159* 17 3.4 =2/1. o 7 8: ' d * 2 .' ■ • " *468 -2 , . . . 4 , . ’ ■ 1.18 .■ - . gi.gm “ ■“ 5 ’ : For the Ambassador. r 05%, . *, *3. ate 200 ’=■ 5 . . * ■ : s: . . e 5 96s Npol ■ 00340 � 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 CDNW (Wiser) 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 CDNW16694 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CDNW16694 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Wiser Consultations, RG25-B-2, Volume number: 3094, Library and Archives Canada.