18 October 1961: Léger to Ignatieff

By mid-October 1961, Léger was concerned that the other NATO delegations were willing to go along with the more problematic elements of the Berlin plans. He required further instructions from Ottawa. Although Léger is critical of the other delegations’ stances in this letter, he is equally concerned with the prospect of a rift emerging in the North Atlantic Council: “naturally we can conclude that all the others are out of step, but this is not a tenable position in the Alliance at this particular time when such serious events have to be considered jointly if they are to be considered effectively.” He also warns Ignatieff that “there is a sense of urgency about Berlin in Council. This sense of urgency must be shared at home if we are to be on the same wave-length as other delegations are.”