SECRET
Ottawa, May 4, 1961
No 69
Excellency:
I have the honour to refer to your Note No 546 of April 1, 1961, in which you informed me of the desire of you Government to reduce the operations of certain radar stations in the Newfoundland-Labrador area established under the terms of the Exhange of Notes between our two Governments of June 13, 1955. In particular you proposed that operations at the Baffin Island and Resolution Island aircraft control and warning sites be reduced to communications only and that the Redcliff aircraft control and warning site and the following gap filler radars be inactivated: Elliston Ridge, Fox Harbour, La Scie, Cut Throat Island, Spotted Isle, and Cape Makkovik. Your Note went on to seek the concurrence of the Canadian Government to these proposed steps.
I have the honour to inform you that my Government concurs in these proposed steps, it being understood that the deactivation of the stations in the manner proposed will take place concurrently with the activation of the Greenland extension of the Distant Early Warning line and the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom barrier in July of this year.
The agreement of the Canadian Government indicated above is also subject to the understanding that all releases of information to the public regarding the deactivation of the radar sites will be jointly agreed by the two Governments and that subject to the provisions of paragraph 10 of the Annex to my Government's Note No D-155 of June 13, 1955, the questions of custody and dispostion of the buildings which will remain will be discussed between the appropriate officials of the two Government.
Accept, Excellency, the renewed assurance of my highest consideration.
(sgd) HC Green,
Secretary of State
for External Affairs
His Excellency Livingston T Merchant,
Ambassador of the United States of America,
100 Wellington Street,
OTTAWA