A letter was accordingly sent to the Deputy Postmaster General on December 14, 1951, asking that this Department be informed of the proposed Canadian representation at the Congress so that Cabinet approval could be sought. Replies dated December 15 and 28, 1951, have been received from Mr. Turnbull, stating that the Post Office Department proposes to send representatives to this Congress, and that the Canadian Delegation will be comprised of the following technical Post Office officials:

It was also requested that this information be communicated to the Belgian ambassador.

As you know, the accepted procedure with regard appointments to international conferences and meetings calls for the initial review by the Department of all proposals involving Canadian participation before submission to Cabinet for approval. (Cabinet Directive No. 9, attached.)^?

The Deputy Postmaster General has obviously been misled by the procedure followed by this Department in 1946 and 1947, when the attendance of Canada to the XIIth Paris Congress was being considered. The French invitation to the XIIth Congress was at that time referred to Mr. Turnbull with the added suggestion that "he would no doubt wish to consider the selection of our representatives and to arrange for their appointment by Order in Council". We asked for the names of the delegates simply for transmission to the French Ambassador.

This would also explain the direct submission concerning Canadian representation at the forthcoming Congress which was made to Cabinet by the Postmaster General, Mr. Rinfret, on December 15, 1951. Mr. Pearson has since cleared the question of the correct procedure with Mr. Rinfret. (Mr. Pick's memorandum of December 20, 1951, refers.)

I think that the officials proposed by the Post Office Department are eminently well suited to represent Canada. It would perhaps be prudent to invite our Ambassador in Brussels to be a member of the Canadian Delegation, however, since the meetings of the Congress are to be held in that City. Besides the matter of courtesy, questions of policy might warrant the attachment of a senior officer of our Embassy in Brussels as Adviser to the Delegation. This last question is of course one for the United Nations Division to look into and advise, and for this reason copy of this memorandum is being referred to them for attention.

It would therefore seem appropriate to remind Mr. Turnbull at this stage that the proposed representation of Canada at the XIIIth Universal Postal Congress should first be reviewed by this Department in accordance with Cabinet Directive No. 9, after which a Recommendation to Cabinet, joined in by both External Affairs and the Post Office Department, could be made. You may, if you agree, wish to do this informally by means of a telephone call to the Deputy Postmaster General.⁵

J. L[ÉGER]