As you know, the exchange of visits between Canada and Communist countries has thus far been confined largely to the U.S.S.R. and Eastern European satellites.

A few Mainland Chinese have been permitted to come to Canada (on two occasions recently Hong Kong representatives of Chinese Communist trade interests have made tours of Canada and Chinese professors have attended the Pugwash Conference) and an increasing number of Canadians have been visiting Mainland China, including the Trade Commissioner in Hong Kong. During the past three years, the question of a visit to Canada by the Peking Opera has been raised on a number of occasions. Mr. Nicholas Goldschmidt, Artistic and Managing Director of the Vancouver Festival Society, recently discussed with Mr. Macdonnell the possibility of arranging for Chinese participation in the Vancouver Festival in 1960. Mr. Goldschmidt gave March 1959 as the latest date for starting negotiations with the Peking Company with a view to arranging performances in Vancouver in 1960. Mr. Macdonnell told him that there were several conflicting considerations involved in the problem which would have to be put before the Government before a decision could be taken.

This problem has been brought up in the past by the Stratford Festival in 1955, Mr. Koudriavtzeff of Canadian Concerts and Artists Inc., Montreal in 1956, as well as by the Vancouver Festival on a previous occasion in 1957. This year Mr. Koudriavtzeff and the Stratford Festival have again communicated with us on the subject. On these occasions we did not recommend that visas be granted to the Company, although Mr. Applebaum of the Stratford Festival was told in September that we had no objection to his making preliminary inquiries of the Chinese without committing himself.

Among the secondary considerations to be taken into account in reaching a decision on this subject is the likelihood that the Stratford Festival would also wish to arrange performances of the Peking Opera Company should the Vancouver Festival be successful in doing so. (It should also be noted that Mr. Koudriavtzeff of Canadian Concerts and Artists is considering the possibility of bringing the Peking Circus to Canada for the month of March 1959. Although he has not yet made any formal application, I thought you should know that he may be bringing the matter before the Department.)

In its performances abroad, the Peking Opera Company offers a varied programme which includes short scenes from some of the operas in the Peking repertoire adapted to the Western taste, mime, and peasant songs and dances. Although there is little or no direct propaganda content in the performances themselves, it may be assumed that the Chinese regard these tours as having a good deal of indirect propaganda value, and they have in fact been universally well received wherever they have performed. The Company has been successful in tours in Europe and Asia, and more recently in South America and Australia and New Zealand.

The arguments against admitting the Peking Opera Company which have carried the day in the past were based on such considerations as the probability that many Canadians might find it difficult to understand why, while not recognizing Communist China, we would permit a visit of such dimensions by an official opera company. This appeared to have special relevance in view of the fact that such a visit would have been on a larger scale than any we had so far permitted from the Soviet Union and would have attracted considerable publicity. Another argument against admitting the troupe was the effect its performances might have on Canadians of Chinese origin. (The Company's tour of New Zealand appears to have had this effect on New Zealanders of Chinese origin.) A final consideration was that our admission of the Peking Opera might cause misunderstanding in the United States. In addition to all these factors, there was further the consideration that as some or all of the individuals making up the Peking Opera Company must be considered to be communists, a specific act on the part of the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, on the recommendation of the Department of External Affairs, would have been required before visas could have been granted to permit the Peking Opera to come to Canada. This consideration no longer carries significant weight, since we have developed a considerable number of exchanges with the Soviet bloc.

Of these arguments the first - which argued against the desirability of admitting such a large company from a country we do not recognize when no similar visits had taken place from the Soviet Union - no longer strikes me as being valid. Other members of the Commonwealth which do not recognize Communist China have admitted the Company, and we have since admitted the Moiseyev Dancers who may be compared to the Peking Opera. The argument regarding the political advantages which the Chinese Communists might be expected to derive through the Company's effect on Chinese-Canadians retains much of its force. I do not think it reasonable, however, to believe that we can indefinitely quarantine the Chinese-Canadians from the effects of the Communist seizure of power nine years ago; sooner or later this problem will have to be faced and it may be profitable to do so in easy stages rather than risk a sudden cultural as well as political invasion by the Communist Chinese should diplomatic relations be established between our two governments at some time in the future. That is to say that the overseas Chinese community in Canada might be better prepared psychologically to accommodate themselves to the idea of recognition, without transferring their active support to the Communist régime, if more innocuous contacts were first established with cultural, as well as trade organizations in China. The final consideration, regarding possible misunderstanding in the United States, may no longer have the same force as it did. Many other countries have now admitted the Peking Company, and there is a growing understanding in the United States of the differences between Canadian and United States policies regarding trade and contacts in general with Communist China. Admittedly, our geographical position ensures that such a visit would attract a great deal of attention in the United States, but the end result of such publicity might be a favourable one.

You will recall that in our memorandum to the Prime Minister of June 11, 1958, you proposed for his consideration "a policy of moving by gradual stages toward recognition. These stages would involve a stepping up of unofficial contacts, particularly in the field of trade." In the annex to that memorandum, it had been suggested that: "Instead of discouraging those Canadian festivals and impresarios who have asked to bring in the Peking Opera, we might allow this event to take place. In general, we might show a willingness to follow a policy of cautious cultural, scientific and industrial exchanges along the lines of the policy already adopted for the Soviet Union." Speaking on this subject in New Delhi, the Prime Minister said that "We want the contact between the Canadian and Chinese people to continue. It is a question of events and circumstances. We hope that it will be properly restored. We are encouraging trade and other contacts with the Chinese at the present time." A visit by the Peking Opera would presumably be in line with this general approach. While such contacts could be considered as part of a policy of proceeding by gradual steps toward eventual recognition, they would not commit the Government in any way and a visit by the Peking Opera would be without prejudice to our present position in this regard. In these circumstances I would recommend that a favourable response might now be given to the Vancouver Festival's request to bring the Peking Opera to Canada in 1960.⁶²⁴ Should you wish to discuss this matter with your Cabinet colleagues, I will have a draft memorandum to Cabinet prepared for your consideration. ⁶²⁵

N.A. R[OBERTSON]

⁶²³Voir/See Volume 25, Document 466.

⁶²⁴Note marginale :/Marginal note:
This has not been considered by the Panel on Visits. The object of this memo was to ascertain your views & develop an agreed Deptl. position before taking the matter to the Panel. R. C[ampbell] 7/1/59.

⁶²⁵La visite fut approuvée par le ministre en mars 1959, après étude de la demande par le bureau des échanges de visites. L'opéra de Pékin se produisit au Festival de Vancouver en 1960. Il fit ensuite une tournée canadienne, et la troupe s'arrêta à Calgary, à Toronto, à Montréal et à Ottawa. Voir le Canadian Annual Review 1960, p. 332 à 33. Le Annual Review révéla que " Since the company was unable to visit the United States, many visitors came to Canada especially to view the productions ".
The visit was approved by the Minister in March 1959, following consideration by the Visits Panel. The Peking Opera did appear at the Vancouver Festival in 1960, and then went on to a tour of the country, making appearances in Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa. See Canadian Annual Review 1960, pp. 332-33. The Annual Review reported that "Since the company was unable to visit the United States, many visitors came to Canada especially to view the productions."