During your absence from Ottawa our Embassy in Washington informed us that the United States Department of Defence and the State Department had agreed to the desirability of NORAD holding a large scale exercise to test the air defences of North America. In the course of his recent visit to Ottawa Mr. McElroy also brought up this matter in conversation with Mr. Pearkes.⁴⁰⁴ Next Monday there will be a special meeting of the Chiefs of Staff Committee which will be briefed by a NORAD team. A number of the operational details, however, are already known to the R.C.A.F.

2. The general plan as it has been explained to us is that a number of bombers of the Strategic Air Command will fly out from their bases in the United States and return, together with about 50 SAC bombers from the overseas bases, approaching North America from the North, South, East and West. These bombers will make strong use of electronic counter-measures in order to test radar and other detection devices. The exercise will last about seven hours, and will require the grounding during that period of all civil aircraft in Canada and the United States, and all civil aircraft flying into Canada and the United States. So that disturbances to civil air schedules may be kept to a minimum the exercise will take place between midnight and seven a.m., E.S.T. These bombers will not carry nuclear weapons.

3. This will not be the first time SAC bombers will be used in an exercise to test the radar warning system. Also, NORAD is constantly exercising its interceptor squadrons. The only new element involved, therefore, in this case is that extensive use will be made of electronic counter-measures; for the first time the effectiveness of the warning system will be given a major test in dealing with such measures and the Command as a whole exercised in this regard. It is in order to eliminate the possibility that a civil aircraft might be taken for a decoy that all such aircraft will have to be grounded. We have been told by the Department of Transport that Mr. Hees has authorized officials of his Department to prepare the necessary Notice to Airmen which would be issued to Canadian civil aircraft and foreign air lines flying into Canada.

4. We understand that the most likely date for the exercise to be held in October 3. If so, it would take place prior to the President's visit to Moscow. In any event, the State Department do not believe it will have any implications with regard to the President's visit. In view of the present political climate and of the fact that the purpose of the exercise is to test the purely defensive capability of NORAD, we do not feel that the proposed exercise will have very significant adverse political repercussions.

5. If this exercise is to be held, would you agree that as a matter of courtesy we should inform the Governments of those countries whose air lines fly into Canada? These are: Australia, Belgium, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Norway, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The State Department will be taking such action with regard to air lines flying into the United States and have suggested to our Embassy in Washington that if we agree to this course, the action we would take might be co-ordinated with that of the State Department. As the Department of Transport would be issuing orders directly to the air lines, we think that such co-ordinated action would go some way to dispel any unhappiness which the exercise might occasion. As a member of the International Civil Aviation Organization, we also have an obligation to inform that body.

6. With regard to publicity, it is our understanding that, although every effort will be made to play down this exercise as much as possible, a joint announcement will be made, possibly during the first week of September. The terms of such an announcement will be worked out between the United States Department of Defence and the Department of National Defence, but we have told the latter that we would wish to be consulted prior to any release being made. We also believe the Governments concerned should be informed prior to such an announcement being made.

7. As I hope to be able to attend the special meeting of the Chiefs of Staff Committee on Monday afternoon, it would be helpful if I could have some indication of your views to present to that meeting.⁴⁰⁵

J.W. H[OLMES]

⁴⁰⁴Il était d'abord prévu qu'Eisenhower se rendrait à Moscou peu après la visite de Khrouchtchev aux États-Unis, en septembre. Ce projet n'a cependant pas eu de suite. It was originally planned that Eisenhower would visit Moscow soon after Khrushchev's visit to the United States in September. However, the visit was postponed.

⁴⁰⁵Note marginale :/Marginal note: Seen by Prime Minister. H.B. R[obinson]