bout de papier, Vol. 9, No. 1 (1992) — Winter 1992 // Hiver 1992, pp. 43–44
Documents on Canadian External
Relations /Documents relatives aux rela-
tions extérieures du Canada, vol. 11,
1944-45, Part II / Tome IT, edited by John
F. Hilliker, Ottawa, External Affairs
and International Trade Canada, 1990,
2046 pages, illus., $95.00; vol. 18, 1952,
edited by Donald Barry, External Affairs
and International Trade Canada, 1990,
1625 pages, illus., $75.00 (Canada).
How does one set about reviewing 2322 documents collected in two massive volumes with a combined thickness of six and a half inches? Before such a presence, imposing in its rich red and black bindings with gilt lettering, the humble reviewer must take pause. Upon reflection, an appropriate course would be to glance at the importance of the periods treated by the volumes and to consider how well their editors had carried out their assignments.
Forty years on, 1944-45 and 1952 represent formative moments in the development of Canada’s external relations. If the problems they presented to the policy-makers seemed at times overwhelming, the prospects also appeared uniquely encouraging. In 1944-45, the mood of the small group who advised the government on Canada’s foreign policy was hopeful as they confronted the challenge of trying to reshape a world order from the ruins of war. They shared a well-recognized common purpose: to move beyond the narrow and short-sighted measures, both political and economic, which had led to the cataclysm of 1939. Thus in volume I of the External Affairs documents, devoted to the non-military aspects of Canada’s transition from war to peace, four hundred pages are assigned to the country’s contribution to the establishment of the United Nations.
Other sections deal with other aspects of global reconstruction: plans to regulate international trade, to promote orderly civil aviation and to return to its bottle the fearsome genie of atomic power. The post-war world was clearly to be dominated by the two victorious “superpowers” but Canada saw no reason, with the war only just ended, to choose between them. Provocative actions were to be avoided; the country’s hopes for a peaceful future were to be lodged in mediatory conduct within the United Nations. In this stance, the Mackenzie King government gained broad support from the Canadian people.
By 1952, how the situation had changed! The Cold War was well underway and Canada had made its choice. Its troops had returned to Europe and the members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) were grappling with the burden of rearmament. Two great issues dominated the international scene: strengthening the NATO alliance and bringing to an end the dangerous conflict in Korea. Looming on the horizon was the problem of recognizing Communist China, which was not to be resolved for two decades. Within North America, Canada’s relationship with the United States was becoming ever closer. In 1952, continental defence was an urgent priority, symbolized by the completion of the Pinetree radar line; economic integration had led to the Canadian campaign for a St. Lawrence seaway; while there continued to be day-to-day problems in trade and communications. Lester Pearson, the first Canadian to be so honoured, was elected President of the United Nations General Assembly for its seventh session. The return of the national art treasures to Poland was still a matter of dispute between Ottawa and Quebec; simultaneously the government was fighting to keep the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Montreal.
Certain themes in the links across the North Atlantic were prominent, just as they would be forty years later. There were the trade-distorting effects of agricultural subsidies, quantitative import restrictions, export credits, and the problem of penetrating the bureaucracy to engage in commerce with the Soviet Union. The Department of External Affairs did not have its current dual title in 1952, but exports were prominent in its field of vision. One difference between 1952 and today was the lesser attention Canada paid to the countries of the Far East and Latin America. Papers relating to these two regions represent a combined 57 pages in a volume of 1625 pages. In 1952, Canada was still tied in, economically and politically, to the North Atlantic world. For most Canadians, it seemed an orientation both comfortable and inevitable.
The editors of the two volumes of documents are John Hilliker, of the Department’s Historical Section (volume 11, 1944-45) and Donald Barry from the University of Calgary (volume 18, 1952). Both have done their work with authority. They have identified the significant issues and assembled the evidence to elucidate them. In their work they have fulfilled the Department’s 1974 guidelines for the publication of historical documents. These are to produce “a comprehensive self-contained record” of major foreign policy decisions; to consult the records of other departments where they are needed to fill out the account; to be scrupulous in not suppressing material that might reveal inept or misguided courses of action; and to respect the integrity of the texts they are using. For their part, the editors have been given access to all the needed records and freedom to select from them for publication. The range and concentrations within their selections inspire the reader’s confidence.
The documents are prefaced by brief but informative introductions, notes on the provenance of the materials, lists of abbreviations and lists of persons and their positions who figure in the texts. Even marginal notes found on the documents are reproduced. Each volume contains a number of illustrations about telling moments and leading actors during the years treated. Each volume also contains a serviceable index, happily much fuller now than it was in certain earlier volumes in the project.
One leaves off consideration of the most recent publications in the Documents series with a suggestion and a hope. Volume I is the second-longest title in the series: 2075 pages and 1271 documents. It is so bulky that it is hard to handle. Perhaps in the future, as the series moves into the active “golden age” of Canadian diplomacy, it may not be necessary to publish such a comprehensive selection as is found in volume 11. Already material relating to certain topics has had to be left out: mutual aid processes under NATO in 1952, for instance. For future volumes it may be desirable to concentrate only on leading themes and deal with secondary questions by citing aids to the material. Better this approach than to devote scarce resources to bringing out multiple volumes for a single year. The hope is that External Affairs and International Trade Canada will continue, and even enhance, its support for the valuable Documents project.
We are promised, in the near future, volume 19, covering the events of 1953. Then we will need volumes 13-17, bridging the gap between 1947 and 1952. Even so, when all this material has been published, there will remain a gap of forty years in the Canadian diplomatic record. The United States Department of State with, of course, much greater resources, is moving forward a little more briskly. It has completed the record of the years 1955-1957, albeit in twenty-five volumes! Foreign Relations of the United States is now beginning the next phase, 1958-1960, and is moving into the multitudinous records of American participation in the Vietnam War after 1960. Our Department should take note and strengthen its efforts. If it does, from henceforth all generations of Canadians will call it blessed.
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Originally published in bout de papier, Vol. 9, No. 1 (1992) — Winter 1992 // Hiver 1992, pp. 43–44. Read the rest of this issue →
