Dear Wynne [Plumptre],

Since we have both been on the signing end of a considerable amount of corre­spondence recently concerning the activities of the Paris ad hoc Committee on Export Control I think it might be useful to give you a very brief picture of where the work of this Committee now stands.

After a little more than a year and a half of operation I believe this group has shaken itself down and seems to realize where its efforts can be directed with the best success. The Consultative Group itself has not met for some time and I am doubtful if they will have to meet very frequently in the future. The Co-ordinating Committee while not a very high-powered group has been doggedly following up the routine side and in fact in the last few weeks they have been quite active. Over this past week for example there were nearly three full days of meetings. The Com­mercial Secretary's office has carried a good share of the work in this latter Com­mittee and Mr. Stone in particular has been of great assistance.

There has been a step forward in the Committee in its consideration of bilateral trade agreements. Countries are showing a greater inclination to discuss such agreements before their conclusion, and in particular the actual commodities which communist-dominated countries request. For example not so long ago members of the Committee were asked to express their views concerning a request to France from Poland for a certain amount of ferro-molybdenum and ferro-nickel. In return the Poles offered the very luring bait of about one million tons of coal. During the early days of the Committee countries were very reluctant to have any such scru­tiny of their own proposed trade arrangements.

This increase in the consultative function of the Committee does require delega­tions to take a definite position during discussions. Our own role is a rather equivo­cal one in many ways. Perhaps our most important function is the maintenance of a watching brief. However the Committee does consider us a full-fledged members and it sometimes is rather embarrassing for our delegates if we are not in a position to state the Canadian view. Unfortunately during the recent discussions on the pro­posed Franco-Poland agreement we were not in receipt of any instructions from Ottawa and consequently were not able to make a statement. We had sent along a telegram a couple of weeks previously when this question was first raised but no reply had been received by the time of the meeting. I can readily appreciate why the authorities in Ottawa find it difficult to work up much enthusiasm over the Export Control work that is being carried on here in Paris. On the other hand it would help our delegation and perhaps the work of the Committee itself if we were in a position to express at the right moment the official Canadian view.

For our part I fear we have rather burdened you with documents and despatches. The former I should think are probably essential for the records. In the latter we have tried to keep to those aspects of the discussions which are of interest to Can­ada. I should certainly welcome any suggestions you may care to make about how we might tidy up or improve our reporting in this field.

You might give this some thought and see whether you can think of any way in which a fuller and speedier expression of Canadian official views could be sent us on occasion. It is the old question of taking membership on a body whose activities are of only minor direct interest to Canada. Nevertheless there are times when we are in the limelight, or even on the spot, and we certainly ought to avoid the indig­nity of a place behind the eight-ball.

Yours sincerely,
R.M. MACDONNELL