Agenda Memorandum for Members of the Permanent Joint Board on Defense United States and Canada

Enclosure No.l UNCLASSIFIED PERMANENT JOINT BOARD ON DEFENCE CANADA-UNITED STATES APRIL, 1953, MEETING 2 April 1953 CANADIAN SECTION Room 276, East Block, Ottawa, Ontario. AGENDA MEMORANDUM FOR THE MEMBERS PJBD - CANADA-UNITED STATES SUBJECT: ST.LAWRENCE SEAWAY AND POWER PROJECT ( 1. At a meeting held in Montreal on December 16 and 17, 1948, the Permanent Joint Board on Defence formulated five conclusions strongly urging early development of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence waterway and power project as being in the best interests of the joint defence of Canada and the United States, and recommended "that every effort be made to overcome the obstacles which are now delaying the completion, by the United States and Canada, of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence waterway and power project". 2. This matter was reviewed again by the Board early in 1951 and, in the light of the rapidly deteriorating international situation in the Far East, the Board reaffirmed the stand previously taken in support of the waterway and power project and recommended, at its meetings of January 30-February 1, 1951, "that the two Governments take immediate action to implement the 1941 St. Lawrence Agreement as a vital measure for their common defence. 1f 3. In view of the important developments relating to the seaway and power project which have taken place during the past two years, the Board may again wish, in the light of the present defence needs of both countries, to emphasize the importance of taking early action for the development of the seaway and power project. 4. As is well known, none of the repeated efforts made since World War II to obtain Congressional approval of the 1941 Agreement have met with success. In September 1951, following a visit to the White House by the Prime Minister of Canada, Mr. Truman stated that, although he still preferred joint development of both the seaway and power by the United States and Canada, he would be prepared, if Congress did not take early action to implement the 1941 Agreement, to support the alternative pro- posal placed before him by Mr. St. Laurent to the effect that Canada and the United States should make a joint application to the International Joint Commission seeking approval for the construction, by entities to be named by the respective Governments, of the power and regulatory works in the International Rapids Section of the St. Lawrence River. Mr. St. Laurent, at the same time, agreed that, when all necessary arrangements had