https://declassified.library.utoronto.ca/files/original/595ded72a13d6ddb5a14d26fd058e7a1.pdf 38f35a02444ed24ad1b4242e36e10838 PDF Text Text Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act ■ Document divulge en vertu de la Loi surl'acces a /’information DEPARTMENT OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS EXT. 105 ‘MINUTE SECURITY GRADING ON Question of Another Meeting of Consultation with the State Department TOP SECRET dat e October 6, 1952. INITIALS OF AUTHOR Insert particulars of despatch, memorandum or other attached document. GI:er CIRCULATION The Ambssador N W——4 u Reading Mr. Pearson's interesting memorandum on his talks in London and Paris on NATO defence programmes and strategy prompts me to suggest that the time may have come for another, meeting of consultation with the State Department. 2. Mr. Pearson,in his memorandum,observes that "it seemed quite clear on my visit to London and Paris that there is a very real difference of.opinion between the U.S. representatives, especially the military representatives, on the one hand and the European members of NATO on the other as to the need for a greater defence buildup in 1953 and the desirability at the next meeting of NATO Ministers of establishing firm goals for that year well in excess of the present 1952 figures”. Mr. Pearson noted that this difference of view 3. appears to relate both to an assessment of risk of Soviet aggression as well as to what can be afforded by the members of NATO. In the assessment of risk of Soviet aggression we have had one or two developments which might throw some light on Soviet intentions. In particular, there has been the Nenni-Stalin interview, the spectacular demotions of a number of leading Communists (all suggestive of a new party line) and, finally, the party congress in the Soviet Union. If, as Walter Lippmann in his column to-day suggests, all this means that "the cold war is growing colder” and that the Soviet Government aims to disrupt the NAT coalition by less emphasis on overt action and more emphasis on underground organization, then the European reactions observed by Mr. Pearson seem to indicate that the Soviet Union is succeeding to some degree in its new tactics. These new tactics, however, do not help very much 4, in determining what the new force targets for NATO should be. There is obviously as much danger in making them too high as in making them too low. In this respect the desire of the U.K. Government (as well as European governments) to have more precise information about U.S. atomic power is quite understandable. I wonder if it would not be appropriate to use the opportunity of our consultations with the State Department to find out what the intentions of the Departments of Defense and State are with regard to obtaining the necessary latitude under the Atomic Energy Act (if necessary by amendment) to permit the members of NATO to be given sufficient information on the effects of atomic weapons, to enable these governments to judge how much reliance can be placed, in determining force contributions, on the atomic weapon. I remember:being told by Arneson earlier this year that the U.S. Chiefs of Staff had urged that an amendment of the McMahon Act be sought to give them the necessary latitude to discuss intelligently with NATO personnel the strategic and tactical effects of atomic weapons. . . .2 THIS MINUTE to BE STAPLED TO, AND FILED WITH, ■ THE DOCUMENT TO WHICH IT REFERS, UNDER THE DATE OF THE DOCUMENT. 00155 �Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act Document divulge en vertu de la Loi surl’acces a /'information -2- If you agree, I might have a preliminary discussion 5. with Arneson this week to test his reaction to the desirability of another meeting, which might discuss the problems to which I have referred. I suppose it would be desirable to have the record of the last P.J.B.D. meeting, which has not yet come in, before having a further meeting, as it would be useful to know what was said on the question of further requests for USAF facilities in Canada before meeting with the State Department. 00156 � 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 CDNW16865 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CDNW16865 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Wiser Consultations, RG25-B-2, Volume number: 3095, Library and Archives Canada.