https://declassified.library.utoronto.ca/files/original/b882123488d516f409b6f25514b75bc1.pdf 16bd039b9c81956f9bf944475841166c PDF Text Text in ces a «^S4i_S I • * 5? _•••-.,- . Cooperation in the Atlantic Community in Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy NATO as such has not as yet undertaken any activity in the field of peaceful uses of atomic energy; various NATO members have done so, however, in-a variety of contexts. Six NATO countries (Prance, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) will bring into being,on January 1 Ythe European Atomic Community (Euratom), an institution parallelling the European Coal anft Steel Community and the prospective European Common Market. The initial reaction of other western European countries (including the United Kingdom) to the Euratom proposals was one of concern, primarily that this six-power body might take an exclusive and inward-looking form. The United Kingdom with Its proposals for a free trade area incorporating virtually all of western Europe sought to bring to bear on the E.E.C. outward looking influences which would deter the latter y from becoming an isolated and protective trading .' bloc; similarly it introduced in the 0.E.E.C. proposals for cooperation on a broad if loose basis' In the development of peaceful uses of atomic energy. These proposals were clearly designed to ensure that Euratom should not develop as an isolated and self-sufficient entity. These United Kingdom proposals for atomic cooperation were welcomed by other members of the 0.E.E.C, especially Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries* they recognized that in western Europe the most rapid progress in atomic energy was likely to be made by Prance and Germany with their heavy industry and advanced technology, and did not wish to be cut off from this development. As it happened, whatever exclusive ideas the six may originally have had gradually became modified, in part as It became known that the uranium of the Belgian Congo was running out and that Euratom was unlikely to be self-sufficient. As soon as Germany, which has no uranium,realized it would have to rely on extra-Euratom sources of supply, it wished to arrange such supply for Itself and not to have to rely entirely on allocation from Euratom's central purchasing agency. m ** / Ac innfotna �, BEST AVAILABLE COPY Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act Document divulgue en vertu de la Loi sur Tacces a {'informatio ..2 Another point leading to modification was the French decision, not welcomed by the other five Euratom countries, that as a great power Prance would retain the right to manufacture atomic -r-we .pons-. . The original concept had been that Euratom would Involve a complete pooling of the atomic programmes of the six. This French decision re-introduced the concept of separate national programmes at least in the military field; the other five had nowish to join France in a military atomic programme, Germany indeed was prohibited from doing so under the Paris Agreements of 1954, and in any case a joint programme would not have met the French claim to the great power prerogative of an independent national atomic weapons programme. Hence the Euratom treaty as finally concluded provides for a.fairly intimate association of the national programmes of the six, with a number of joint projects and several central functional institutions including a joint purchasing /agency, but with escape clauses permitting a. good deal of freedom for Independent national action even Including under certain circumstances the right to conclude bilateral agreements with non-members. . It is through these provisions that it has been possible for Canada and Germany to enter into the bilateral agreement signed in Ottawa on December 11. The difference between Euratom as it now is and the 0.E.E.C. programme is one of degree, not the difference between a complete pooling on one hand and the cooperation of individual and independent national programmes on the other. As both plans took more definite shape the Initial conflict between them was reduced, and there are real prospects of effective collaboration between them with Euratom really consisting merely of a group within the whole cooperating more intimately and extensively than the others. The Euratom provisions allowing for the possibility of national atomic weapons programmes of course are a salient feature of special interest to Canada as a uranium supplier — Euratom's control system rests on a basis quite different from that of the 0.E.E.C, which is fully consistent with those of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the bilateral agreements which Canada is prepared to conclude. Euratom's controls are designed not to prevent military use but to ensure that resources used for military purposes do not exceed those approved In advance by the Community. .../ �Document disclosed under the Access to Information Act Document divulgue en vertu de la Loi sur Tacces a Tinformation BEST AVAILABLE COPY .3 Tho United States has consistently supported Euratom strongly, as it has the entire concept of six-power integration in western Europe. It has not in any sense opposed the 0.E.E.C programme, but appears to expect, less from it in terms of political advantage to western Europe. This apparent preference may to some extent be offset in future; the U.S.A. has recently recognized that active support of Euratom may involve serious difficulties arising from U.S.A. policy concerning safeguards against military use of exports essential to atomic programmes. Canada has carefully steered a neutral course, welcoming both Initiatives to the extent that they are likely to increase the strength and unity of western Europe as a whole and within the framework of the Atlantic Community. Opportunities have been sought to advise tactfully against features in either plan (and this has occurred more often in connection with Euratom) which appear restrictive or exclusive, and to support or encourage those features likely to advance the peaceful use of atomic energy in western Europe within a wholesome international environment. No specific commitments have been made by Canada to either programme, except for general expressions (appropriate to our associate membership in the 0.E.E.C.) of goodwill and willingness to assist the 0.E.E.C programme as circumstances permit. There appears to be no special reason to alter this position at present; for the time being we can seek uranium markets in western Europe on the basis of bilateral agreements, and when these multilateral projects are further advanced it will be time enough to consider possible sales to them rather than to their Individual members. As a final comment, mention should be made of a current proposal for joint operation by 0.E.E.C. members of an experimental reactor under construction in Norway. It appeared that the cost in money and manpower of Canadian participation would not be justified in terms of any direct return to Canada, and our representatives were instructed accordingly. Very recently, however, the Norwegian Government has pressed us "on political grounds" (not otherwise defined) to come into this project; the question is now being re-examined in the light of this appe al. (NATO Ministerial Meeting - Paris December 16, 1957). � 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 CDNW02151 Title A name given to the resource Note Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 12/16/1957 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived "NATO agreement for cooperation regarding atomic information," RG25-A-3-b, vol. 5958, 50219-AL-40, Part 1.2, Library and Archives Canada (LAC). Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Department of External Affairs Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Canadian Crown Description An account of the resource Cooperation in the Atlantic Community in Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy 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