Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, Western Europe and Canada, Volume VI, Part 2

711.11 EI/11–1753: Despatch

No. 982
The Counselor of Embassy in Canada (Bliss) to the Department of State

confidential
No. 438

Ottawa, November 17, 1953.

• Subject: Some Political Aspects of Presidential Visit to Ottawa

President Eisenhower’s visit to Ottawa on November 13–14 was first mentioned as a distinct possibility when Prime Minister St. Laurent told the press in mid-September that an invitation to visit Ottawa had been extended to the President. The question was in fact raised by Canadian Ambassador Heeney in the course of his first call on Assistant to the President Sherman Adams, soon after Heeney’s arrival in Washington to take up his duties.¹

The motives of the Canadian Government in proposing such a visit were of course essentially friendly, the principal objective was to further Canadian-American relationships, and the desire to build up Canadian prestige was only a part of it. They had it in mind, however, that the Prime Minister had visited the President in May not many months after he had assumed office and they would have been disappointed, if not slightly miffed, if the President had been unable to return this visit within a reasonable time. The timing was dictated by the White House conviction that the President would be fully occupied after Congress had again convened and by the prospect that the Prime Minister would be leaving Canada for a world tour in February and March. The fact that the Canadian Parliament would reconvene on November 12 was another factor in fixing the date since it was hoped that the President could address the Parliament in Ottawa.

The President’s choice of a weekend immediately following the opening of Parliament was a minor embarrassment. It meant that the Governor General² would not give the State Dinner which he normally does at that time, but he gladly cancelled the function this year in favor of a State Dinner for the President. It also meant that Parliament would have to meet on Saturday, when many MP’s are normally out of town, but the Prime Minister had no qualms about making that arrangement, which has been done before for distinguished visitors.

Following informal White House agreement to the plan, forwarded to the Embassy through the State Department, the Ambassador and I discussed the program with the Prime Minister, who mentioned the difficulties referred to above but assured us that they could be disposed of readily. In this discussion the timing was definitely established and the general outlines of a program formulated. This was later agreed to by the President. Essential features of this plan provided for a State Dinner to be given by the Governor General, a wreath-laying ceremony at the Cenotaph, an address by the President before Parliament, an informal luncheon to be given the Prime Minister and a dinner to be given by the President at the Embassy Residence.

The Prime Minister suggested an informal meeting with the Cabinet to follow the address before Parliament, partly to avoid the necessity for a large reception at that time in order to relieve the President of such a burden. He observed that he would never again ask anybody to go through an ordeal like that of Princess Elizabeth at a Chateau Laurier reception at which 1,000 guests were presented to her during her 1952 tour of Canada. In general we endeavored to kept the official program as light as possible, and the President greatly appreciated this consideration for him. In the final plan arrangements were included for the President to have a private talk with the Prime Minister after his luncheon and with the Governor General at any time convenient to both of them.

In the course of this discussion with the Prime Minister, supplemented by other talks in External Affairs and at Government House, it was agreed that the Governor General’s State Dinner and reception would be essentially official affairs at which the President would meet practically all of official Ottawa and the Lieutenant Governors of the Provinces. In connection with the two smaller functions it was also agreed that we would not make them simply smaller versions of the State Dinner but endeavor to bring in other elements important to Canadian life. Consequently, the Prime Minister invited to his luncheon, in addition to the necessary hard core of official guests, a number of leading Canadian industrialists and General Crerar, Canadian Commander during the war and now retired. Similarly, we invited to the President’s dinner the Prime Ministers of Ontario and Quebec, the Governor of the Bank of Canada and the Chairman of the Ontario Hydro Electric Commission, in order to include other important personalities. These were supplemented by still others invited to the small reception after the President’s dinner. The final result therefore was to bring into personal contact with the President as many Canadian officials, business leaders and leaders in key Canadian organizations as could be managed.

In connection with the President’s speech before Parliament we exchanged views at an early date with External Affairs Minister Pearson, who felt that the President’s visit should have substance to serve its full purpose, that this should be implicit in his address, and that some other important matters might be discussed privately with the Prime Minister. He agreed that the President must deal with the trade problem in his speech, in view of its particular importance to Canada, despite the obvious difficulties. However, he felt that there might be merit in using the occasion to refer to the Joint Trade and Economic Board as a new approach to an old problem. Pearson also felt that something must be said about North American defenses, suggesting that it be made plain that the defense of North America is only part of our general defense effort. In the end these suggestions, supplemented by others, were incorporated in the President’s speech and in the communiqué which was issued after his departure.³

The President’s speech as finally delivered before a crowded Parliament received close attention and was interrupted by over 20 rounds of applause. The decision to include a passage in French was a particularly happy one and the President’s first words in French caused a real outburst. Although most of his speech was well received, perhaps the deepest impression was made by the declaration of personal faith which he delivered without notes as an interpolation. No Canadian who heard that will ever forget the earnestness and conviction with which the President spoke.

The Prime Minister’s introduction of the President was a piece of exceptionally fine writing delivered in his inimitable manner. In commenting on it afterward he told me that he was speaking to the world, not only to Canadians and Americans, and that what he wished to impress upon the world was that the United States, though the leader of the free peoples, has no desire to gain influence and does not dictate to other nations. He feels that a shining example is to be found in the relations of the United States with Canada, a small nation yet in all ways treated as an equal. It was this, he said, that he hoped he made clear.

Of course the President’s speech was drafted with this in mind and it fully supported the Prime Minister’s point. Senator Robertson⁴ also had consulted me in advance regarding the tenor of the President’s speech, and was persuaded to re-draft his commentary along appropriate lines. He wanted further to put in a word for closer contacts between Parliament and Congress, a hobbyhorse he constantly rides, and I did not discourage him.

At the Cabinet meeting, the Ambassador tells me, the President covered in general terms the whole range of Canadian-American problems and the world political situation with special reference to Russia. In his comments on American policies affecting Canada the President was as reassuring as he could be and there seemed to be agreement that all of our problems can and will be worked out. No record of this meeting was kept, except possibly the notes of participants for their own information.

There is no record of any of the private talks between the President and the Governor General and the Prime Minister. However, the President observed at one point that he was greatly impressed by the Governor General and had particularly enjoyed their discussions.

Don C. Bliss

1. Heeney presented his credentials on Aug. 3.
2. Vincent Massey.
3. For the texts of the address before the House of Commons on Nov. 14, and of the communiqué that the President and Prime Minister released at the conclusion of their meeting with the Cabinet later in the day, see Department of State Bulletin, Nov. 30, 1953, pp. 735–739.
4. Speaker of the Canadian Senate.