https://declassified.library.utoronto.ca/files/original/01764e3517d24e2dfbbc31e9a76427f8.pdf c9328255ab207839aa100889c8872acb PDF Text Text O/SSEA f i l e O/SJSSEA f i l e O/SSEA (Spec.Asst.) Press Office Information Div. Disarmament Div. • File . Circulation Diary V<#mr^#^&&lt&&&¥MccesstoInformatfohActDocument divulgue en vertu deja Loi sur£g(£i$h-nm>rmatiQn y/JtCT ^ CQKFlB^nAL *tarch 13, 1%% ^ tfafKt, ( l a oar masorafidtia of March 10 wo indicated tbat I t appeared that the United States President would he mking aa emmxtm&miA t h i s week oa h i s Ajftsdnistration'a views on what the future of the Sentinel tx&ligtie nlaailo defence ey*fces should he. We haw learned through our Sabasay i n Washington that J&% Nixon will he conferring with Congressional leaders at breakfast tceacrrow -aorniag and that he will sake en aaaouncoiaent oa the ABM (Question a t & press conference l a t e r i n ths day. Today1 B news reports state that no decision has yet hean reached. 2» Against the possibility that the decision were t o centime •the Sentinel F?og?w&i&9 we provided with cur raeiasrandaa a suggested answer t o a question on the Canadian Govcrassent's position on ASK defence. Copy of the suggested reply i s attached* 3. I t i s possible, particularly i f the decision i s t o proceed with deployment, that a question sight also fas raised (in the Cabinet Cooalttee tomorrow or 1» the Bouse) on whether the Canadian Cowra%M& sought to influence the Snited States OovarnBent's decisioh when i t became known recently that the new Administration was review* iag the earlier decision. Although we have not dam t h i s specifically i n the Borth Aaeric&n defence context we have on several occasions * *,, isade our views known on the Iroader p l i c a t i o n s r e s t e d to dicBrnaisent, S *fL Best recently when President Kixon visited the SATO Council. i» frora the beginning we have kept i a touch with tfoe USA on the is^plicatiens for Canada of ABH developraenta* Mhea the K03AD Agreement was renewed l a s t year* i t was stated that ths renewal of $Q8AD would not involve i n auy way a Canadian eonmitsaent t o participate in an activs b a l l i s t i c isiasile defence. (Xiing t o tbe preliiai&ary stage i n the detrelcpsaent of the United States plans* and the coolest and rapid advance of te*"&a©logy* i t was considered advisat&e not t o t r y i a the cooteaEt of ths renewal of SOBM) t o deal with the relationship of the ABH <|uestion t o over-all Horth Aeericaa defence and to Canada*© co-operation vlth the U.S. in that defence, the way was thus l e f t open to consider carefully these broader considerations sad to t h i s end the Canadian Cov^rnoent i s keeping i a c&oae touch with the United States on ABM devaLopsents to determine what th e implications are for Gansda and how our interests can best be served. • • ..2 000313 �Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act Document divulgue en vertu de la Loi sur I'acces a I'information smmmm - 2- 5* We lave been particularly concerned about the iag^catioss of aa AM depaopssnt by the Oaited States for the successful opening and progress of talks between tho Soviet Snioh and the United States oa the lissitation of strategic arras* This concern was stated publicly hy t$»« Fearsos on September 22* 1967* ohortly after the anaouaeeaent by Secretary HeNaaarra of the U,S*A. decision to deploy a "light Chinese oriented AM Systea" which has since becooa known as Sentinel. 'Ia answer to a press question on the possihle effect of this U.S.A. decision oa dissrsament talks 3$% Pearson replied, *Htere sre differences of opinion on that score* whether this will have say bad effect along the lines you have suggested. 3t rep-et very ssuCh that the Baited States considered i t necessary to do this because i t i s a new dissension ia defence end in ersr-aaents. The Soviet Union had begun* as you know, to put iato operation an ABM f-ystes* and oae thing leads to another in this field} yom have this kind of automatic escalation. This i s purely a defensive measure* of courses bat i t does EK>V© defence into new dimensions and i t i s regrettable that i t was required.B 6. Since that time we have consistently stressed the icoortance we attach to progress ia Strategic Arsas Idiaitatioa Talks (SALT} both pu&icly, for example in your state-seat at the United nations last fall, aad privately* in the PJSD last -CMmth aad during the private session of th© Horth Atlantic Couacil oa February 4 attended by Resident Sixon* At the latter sseetiag our Ambassador dealt at aoste length with the SALT cjaesticn. 7. As to the possibility of our asking representations to the United States i a the contact of t&e new Ad^nistr&tion's curreat review* i t seeos to ae that there are a ausbsr of reasons which sanitate against thiss 1) Ihe AM rpestioa haa developed rapidly since the advent of th© B-furoa Adfealaistraiion into a heated political controversy in the United States and tMs i s llk&ty to continue no natter what the Cksvemcsent's decision* At t h i s stage the United States might well regard a Canadian intervention, even though stated to he ia the context of our support for disaraaiaoat, aa Ordering on Interference ia a United States domestic political issue. At any rate a Canadian intervention could well bsee-ae public aad would probably Se exploited by setae of the Congressional protagonists. We doubt very ouch that a Canadian intervention at this stage when the dehate ia so intense aad i t s outcoroe so uncertain* would be weieotae or helpful. Horcover* i t could .•••3 000314 �Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act Document divulgue en vertu de la Loi sur I'acces a I'information -3affect the eJimte aot only of the first meeting between the Resident and tha. Jrltse Hinistes* bat of the Ibtare relations between the two Gaverscients. 2) &n ijqpeertost question i s the position m would adopt on the implications of ballistic missile defence for dioarc5a»ent. Expert opinion on this subject i s divided. For example* on the one hand i t I s argued that ballistic eiseile defence could facilitate araa control ana in pertict^Lsr a rua-dowa of sodsting stocks of IGffifs and* on tfoe e t t w hand i t i s argued that the deployment of such a system will produce a new escalation in ths arsis race, this division of opinion was noted by Hr. Pearson in ths quotation given above, there are also differ* ssces over the effect of deployment or deferral on the opening and conduct of SALT, Me would be -racoeeted to support any interv«ntioa with a full rationale which would ao doubt reflect the conflicting views alreedT advanced in the current public debate by leading U.S. esperts on the subject* FurthewJkjre* a Canadian Intervention, even i f persuasive against deployment* slight only serve to •sharpen the &*-ttsftdenrtta dlles-aa. I t i s cpestionable wither a Canadian view would bo accepted as a determining factor* paarticulsrly given ths eosplex U.S. domestic political iar^ications. 3) we are ia the s&dst of a defence and fcreign policy review which i s kcowa to involve the option of neutrality. The uncertainty about our policy has led to doubt in the U»S. (and also oa the port of our KATO allies) as to our future intentions la defence co-operation. In sash circuisstaaces ue cannot expect to bs listened to with the SOBS attention that we otherwise eight, had we re-affirmed our intention to continue erx^sration in* and to contribute to* Astern security (let alone iadicated a wUlingness t o co-operate in ballistic e&ssile defence) . fhe foregoing ©ay be of assistance in discussion in Cabinet Cosraittee. In t t o event a qaiestioa i s asked in the House of Gorasons about a Canadian intervention in Washington, we attach a suggested reply. feGt5.1 F t BE R O B I N S O N y unit? ffY<*>aL^) .AsuftlaJid ta^Co ^ /yuty^kxu^ ,000315 � 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 CDBM00192 Title A name given to the resource Memorandum for the Minister Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 3/13/1969 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived RG25-A-3-c, file 27-11-7, "DEFENCE - CONVENTIONAL AND NUCLEAR ARMAMENTS - ANTI - BALLISTIC MISSILES (ABM) = DEFENSE - ARMEMENTS DE TYPE CLASSIQUE ET NUCLEAIRE - ENGINS ANTIMISSILES (ABM)," vol. 10357, part 4, Library and Archives Canada, (LAC). Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource External Affairs Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Canadian Crown Subject The topic of the resource Anti-ballistic missiles Description An account of the resource ABMs 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