You will recall that when I reported to Cabinet on December 22, 1958, on the Paris Meeting of the Canada-United States Ministerial Committee on Joint Defence,³⁹² I mentioned that a draft statement for possible use in the House of Commons on the acquisition and control of nuclear weapons had received some preliminary consideration.³⁹³ Since then revisions have been made as a result of further discussions with the United States authorities and I now attach a draft statement? which is acceptable to both sides.

I think it is desirable that a statement on this subject be made in the House of Commons at an early date in order that an indication may be given of certain basic considerations which have affected the Government's thinking on the acquisition and control of nuclear weapons. On the other hand, it will be some time before there is a need to acquire the nuclear warheads for use by Canadian forces and there will therefore be a corresponding delay before an inter-governmental agreement will have to be written to cover the actual equipping of the weapons for operational use. I think it would be well to make this fact quite clear to the House in order to forestall pressure on the Government to produce in the House in the near future the terms of an inter-governmental understanding. You will recall difficulties of this kind which arose with respect to the Norad Agreement.

As any statement made in the House on this subject will, of course, give rise to questions in Washington, the State Department has asked to be given an indication as soon as possible of the date and if possible the hour of the proposed Canadian statement.

I am sending a copy of this memorandum to the Minister of National Defence who has of course already approved the text of the proposed statement.³⁹⁴

[SIDNEY SMITH]

³⁹²Voir/See Volume 25, Document 137.

³⁹³Voir/See Volume 25, Document 135.

³⁹⁴Le premier ministre Diefenbaker a fait cette déclaration le 20 février 1959. Voir Canada, Chambre des Communes, Débats, 1959, volume II, pp. 1279 à 1282.
Prime Minister Diefenbaker issued this statement on February 20, 1959. See Canada, House of Commons, Debates, 1959, Volume II, pp. 1221-1224.