700.5611/12–1951
The Secretary of State to the Secretary of Defense (Lovett)
My Dear Mr. Secretary: Upon receipt of the letter of November 5, 1951, signed for you by General Marshall S. Carter,1 on the subject of an agreement with Canada regarding the use of Canadian bases and overflights of Canadian territory in connection with operations of the Strategic Air Command, Canadian officials were informally approached by officials of the Department of State with a view toward securing their reaction to the proposals contained in the subject letter.
We have recently been informed by the Canadian Embassy that this problem is under active consideration within the Canadian Government, but that, because of the absence of key Canadian officials in connection with international meetings in Paris and in Rome, Canadian reactions must await their return. As soon as these Canadian officials [Page 901] will have had the opportunity of studying this subject, the Department of State will proceed with further negotiations and endeavor to work out a mutually satisfactory solution to this question.
Sincerely yours,