851A.74/5
The Canadian Legation to the Department of State
Memorandum
The Canadian Legation has been requested to bring the following information informally to the attention of the Department of State.
In the opinion of the Government of Canada, a serious potential danger to the safety of trans-Atlantic shipping arises from the existence at St. Pierre of a short wave transmission station which is able to communicate in cypher or in code with the authorities in Vichy. The Government of Canada have under consideration a proposal that Canadian personnel should be stationed at St. Pierre to control all outward messages from this station and to prevent the use of cypher or of any code which they are not able to read. This Canadian personnel might also be charged with inspecting the radio equipment of fishing boats and other ships based on the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, in order to make sure that their equipment is not capable of long distance transmission. They would also exercise supervision over the other radio stations at St. Pierre.
It is assumed by the Canadian authorities that the Permanent Joint Board on Defence United States and Canada2 would undoubtedly approve of this step, but it is not considered desirable that action should be delayed for a month until the Board holds its next meeting.
This information is communicated in view of the intimate interest of the Government of the United States, both in the protection of trans-Atlantic shipping and with the status of French possessions in this hemisphere.3
- For correspondence concerning the establishment of the Joint Board on Defense, see Foreign Relations, 1940, vol. iii, pp. 144 ff.↩
- John D. Hickerson of the Division of European Affairs in a memorandum of November 24, stated that on November 8 the Canadians were informed orally that the Canadian memorandum of November 3 “had been noted and we had no comments to make.” He added: “This was intended and so understood by the Canadians as constituting a green light for them to go ahead.” (841.8595/58)↩