19 December 1950: Cabinet Memo

This cabinet memorandum, written by Pearson and Minister of National Defence Brooke Claxton shows the feeling within the Canadian government that escalation on the Korean peninsula essentially precipitated a Third World War. This memorandum is heavily based on an earlier Department of External Affairs memorandum intended for Pearson, two copies of which are also included. The External Affairs memorandum reports on alarming disparities in military strength between USSR and NATO forces in Western Europe, and warns that “the defeat which the United Nations have suffered in Korea makes more likely Communist attacks on other parts of Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.” This shows the Canadian government’s belief that developments in Korea had larger implications for global strategy.

Memorandum to the Cabinet, "The International Situtation," 18 Dec. 1950, LAC, RG 25, vol. 4758, file no. 50069-D-40, part 1; Memorandum, 27 Dec. 1950, LAC, RG 25, vol. 4758, file no. 50069-D-40, part 1; Secretary of State for External Affairs to Chairman, Canadian Delegation to the General Assembly of the United Nations no. 433, 19 Dec. 1950, LAC, RG 25, vol. 4758, file no. 50069-D-40, part 1.