Telegram from Ambassador Stanley Woodward to Secretary of State Dean Acheson

NLTUCREMED INCOMING TELEGRAM Department of State TELEGRAPH BRANCH N D-X Control: 7250 Rec'd: November 15, 1950 FE FROM: Ottawa 8:08 p.m. Info TO: Secretary of State SS G NO: 153, November 15, 4 p.m. EUR UNA USUN PRIORITY OLI DCR Reference DEPTEL 95, November 12, EMBTEL 150, November 14. After receiving statement and aide memoire on our position hot pursuit Heeney discussed subject by telephone with Pearson at Windsor. As a result Canadian position stiffened considerably as compared Heeney's reaction yesterday. Ambassador called this morning to hear statement changed Canadian reaction. Following is text External Affairs draft paper in this regard. "(1) We agree with the US Government that everything possible should be done to localize the conflict in Korea. We also agree that the abuse of Manchurian territory by the enemy could impose an intolerable burden upon the UN forces operating lawfully and properly on UN missions in Korea. "(2) The immediate question is whether the burden has no become, or is likely shortly to become, so intolerable as to make it necessary for UN aircraft to pursue attacking enemy aircraft up to two or three minutes flying time into Manchurian air space. The answer to this question involves, of course, the careful balancing of purely military considerations against the political consideration that combat operations in Man- churian air space will increase the risk of the extension of hostilities. "(3) In order to lessen the risk that the step which the US Government has proposed would lead to an extension of hostilities and in order to give the Chinese Communists an opportunity to discontinue the present abuse of Manchurian air space by hostile aircraft, we consider it important that, before the UN Commander-in-Chief is instructed to permit pur- suit, the Chinese Communist Government should be given a specific public warning, preferably by a representative of the Unified Command in the Security Council, that, if hostile aircraft continue to use Manchurian air space, United Nations aircraft will naturally have to defend themselves in the air space over the Yalu REPRODUCTION OF THIS MESSAGE IS PROHIBITED