842.20 Defense/6–947
Memorandum by the Secretary of State to President Truman
You may wish to consider mentioning to Prime Minister King at some time during your visit to Ottawa on June 10–12 your interest in the proposed “Inter-American Military Cooperation Act”.1 I attach a copy of House Document No. 271 containing your message of May 23, 1947, and the draft of the proposed Act.2
The proposed Act would considerably strengthen the basis of our joint defense arrangements with Canada. It is true that we are already interchanging personnel between the armed forces of each country and that we have already made transfers of arms, ammunition and implements of war to Canada by sale through the Foreign Liquidation Commissioner. The new Act would, however, facilitate the interchange of personnel and would make it possible to transfer arms and materiel directly and affirmatively rather than through the surplus property procedure. The provisions for the transfer of services and technical information would also be helpful.
If you decide to discuss the matter with the Prime Minister, it is my thought that you would wish to do so informally and privately. I have in mind that, as we mentioned in the general memorandum submitted to you on June 5, joint military cooperation has the strong support of a majority of Canadians but there is an element in the country which declares that the arrangements constitute a violation of Canadian sovereignty and prejudice the chance of Canada maintaining peaceful relations with the Soviet Union. As of possible interest I attach clippings from the New York Times of June 6 and 8 relating to the debate which took place late last week in the House of Commons on the subject of our joint military cooperation. These two articles are symptomatic [Page 113] of the situation and constitute further evidence, if any were needed, that our joint defense relationship requires careful and tactful handling on both sides.
With further reference to my thought that the matter should be mentioned only informally and privately to the Prime Minister, I also have in mind the fact that the proposed bill has not yet been reported out of Committee in either the House or the Senate and we cannot be sure what its fate will be. In other words, it would be a mistake to leave with the Prime Minister an impression that we expected to be able to take action under the bill in the immediate future.
Finally, I suggest that if you do discuss the matter with the Prime Minister3 you might want to tell him that you would ask Ambassador Atherton to talk with him later in detail about the bill and our plans to implement it.
- For documentation concerning this proposed act, which failed to pass Congress in 1947, see vol. viii, pp. 101 ff.↩
- Draft not found in Department of State files.↩
- No record has been found of such discussion in Ottawa between the President and Prime Minister Mackenzie King.↩