https://declassified.library.utoronto.ca/files/original/82d9ce15b615cc3c5470a07e0e56d111.pdf 263e16a32e592af5cc291d69e552e8fc PDF Text Text Document disclosed Document divulgue en v on nation * M EXTERNAL AFFAIRS AFFAIRES EXTERI :URK IW if*168 I N FILE CHARGED OUT TO The Under-Secretary of State for External Affairs, Ottawa, Canada FROM Da Canadian Consulate General San Francisco, California SECURITY Securite UIMLLASSIFIEU May 7 , 1969 REFERENCE Reference NUMBER 's Numero 131 DOSSIER OTTAWA SUBJECT SoM Antiballistic Missile Program 3.1-n- ~> £Ko MISSION ENCLOSURES Annexes Opinion is fairly well divided regarding the value of an ABM system for the United States, though at this time there appears to be more against it than for ^ t ^ A good many are suspicious of the motives of some of the supporters of/\some of those opposed to the ABM program. DISTRIBUTION 2. The Oakland Tribune said that the chief organizer of the efforts to shoot down President Nixon's compromise ABM plan is Senator Edward Kennedy, who lost the support of several Ptepublican senators when they concluded his remarks in opposition were often strong on emotion and high-flown rhetoric but short on reasoned logic. C C . Washington 3. Typical was Kennedy's blank indictment of the system as "false because it may not work, false because it will provoke a new arras race, false because the arguments on its behalf are those not of logic but of fear." ~? 4. Fear of attack.from one's enemies, the Tribune said, has pretty much been the basis of defense systems since early times. Kennedy seems to ignore such lessons of history. 5* "The true non-partisanship of the Nixon ABM program is reflected in the list of congressmen who have taken strong stands on the plan regardless of their party affiliations." the Tribune said. c ) (IQBTIS-- 6. The Sacramento Bee suggests talcing a look at previous defense systems such as the Nike Missile and advanced Nike system which would have been obsolete before they could be ready. The Bee points out that scientists have stated that the ABM cannot be tested except when the lives of millions are at stake and that it threatens to trigger the biggest, deadliest arms race ever conceived. 7. The Bee is quite outspoken. "What the nation is beholding," it states, "is the almost compulsive vested interest of the military-industrial complex gathering momentum... The military-industrial complex is pushing the nation toward an ABM system which may cost far more than $50 billion, while poverty funds are being cut. i Exl. 407»/Bll. ) Cont'd. 000208 �Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act Document divulgue en vertu de la Loi sur Tacces a Tinformation .2. 8. "Justice William 0. Douglas says he admits one certainty for the ABM. That certainty is that it would make the defense, industry richer than it ever hoped to be. At the same time, Douglas concludes, after reading the profound uncertainties of all the scientists about ABM, that its creation would leave America with a huge pile of junk." 9. The San Francisco Chronicle is concerned about the dubious tactics used in the ABM battle, particularly the propaganda techniques employed on behalf of the White House such as appeals to consider the President's prestige and House minority leader Ford's reference to Senate critics of ABM - "Do they want to unilaterally disarm America when we have a serious threat from the Soviet Union?" This is absurtt, the Chronicle states, in the face of a $80 billion defense budget. 10. The Chronicle also criticizes the Defense Department which "is as usual using its mystique to obscure the basic question of whether, if it was built, an ABM system would work." 11. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin and the Sacremento Bee were the only papers which mentioned Canada's concern about the ABM. The Star-Bulletin said that "our Defense Department issued a statement indicating that the possibility of firing nuclear anti-missiles over Canadian territory had not been discussed in advance with Ottawa.. An inexcusable oversight." 12. The Bee said Canadians feel their sovereignty is involved but the government has to decide whether the proposed ABM installations constitute an escalation of the arms race, or whether they can be viewed as a further safeguard for world peace. Consulate General 000209 � 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 CDBM00248 Title A name given to the resource ConGenSanFran to External 131 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 5/7/1969 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 6, 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 ABM Program 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