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DCER : Volume #27 - 665.DEA/9057-40 : CANADIAN POSITION IN RELATION TO ARCTIC WATERS: PASSAGE OF THE U.S.S. SEADRAGON

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Volume #27 - 665.

CHAPTER XI

ARCTIC SOVEREIGNTY

PART 1

PASSAGE OF THE U.S. NUCLEAR SUBMARINE SEADRAGON THROUGH THE ARCTIC ARCHIPELAGO

665.

DEA/9057-40

Memorandum from Under-Secretary of State for External Affairs
to Secretary of State for External Affairs

SECRET. CANADIAN EYES ONLY.

Ottawa, June 10, 1960

CANADIAN POSITION IN RELATION TO ARCTIC WATERS: PASSAGE OF THE U.S.S. SEADRAGON

You will recall that Canadian Naval Headquarters received notification of the intended transfer of the Nuclear Submarine Seadragon in August or September of this year from the Atlantic to the Pacific through the Northwest Passage. You have been considering the implications of this notification and the reply which might be made to it.

The earlier notification from the United States was apparently only preliminary advice that the passage was being considered. The transfer of the vessel to the Pacific has now been decided upon and “Canadian concurrence” for the voyage has been requested. This request will greatly strengthen our claim to the waters of the Canadian Archipelago as Internal Waters. It is recommended, therefore, that advantage be taken of this development and that the request be granted in accordance with the Canada-United States agreed clearance procedure for visits by public vessels between Canada and the United States by a reply being sent on a service to service basis.1

N.A. R[obertson]


1Note marginale :/Marginal note:
SSEA would like channel of reply carefully considered from point of view of protection of sovereign claim to waters. R. C[ampbell] 10/6
La réponse a été envoyée par la voie militaire.
The reply was sent through service channels.



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