Evening star., 1948-10-24
Canadians
Make Plans
FOrDefenSe
But rep ar ations
Do Not Satisfy
the Critics
By Martin Ross

OTTAWA.-Canadians are begin
ming to worry apout their contribu'
ton to the pool of common defense
against Russia. In an ,undramatie
way the government is making its
plans, but public opinion u asking
for more obvious and convincing
steps.
An informed and reasoned criti.
cisrn. Of the governments policy
has been made by Col. wallace Go.
forth, who was director of weapon
research in the last war. In the
picture of world strategy, Col. Go.
forth sees the Canadian Arctic a!
one of the zones where the enemy
would have to be parried before ht
could be dealt with in the decisive
theater, which would be Europe
He regards the present Canadian
forces as quite inadequate for the
dual role of parrying an attack or
the north and of supporting. with
the United States, the Western
European Union powers.
: Likened to Belgium
The governments defense planE
are conceived in these same gen.
eral terms. Canada Hes-on di.
rect polar fiight-betwesn Russis
and the United States. The phrase
Canada is the Belgium of the next
war" has had o wide circulation
here. But Brooke Claxton, the De-
fense Minister, has officially repu-
dated it. The defense chiefs do not
believe in this bogy. They think
the time for ''push-button warfare
Is not quite yet, and that a mass
attack on the Canadian Arctic is
wholly impracticable with present
resources.
1t would take, they say, 1,000
four-engined Russian transport
planes to land even one division
In the Canadian North. They do
not believe Russia has that many
transports. II she had, and if they
did land O division in Canada, they
would never get back to Russia, and
the division would be Of very little
use. Canada has a good deal of expe-
rience in the difficulties of moving
even small bodies of troops in the
north and the defense people are
not frightened at the thought Of a
hostile division which would have
to get It's supplies from 5000 to
1900 miles away.
Mr.. Claxton says that any attack
on North America in the immediate
future would be diversionary, and
its object would be simply Ito panic
the people Of this continent into
putting a disproportionate amount
Of effort into passive local defense" ."
Training Cold. Weather Group
That Is why, for immediate Arctic
defense on land, the Canadian Army
is relying on O brigade Of regular
forces which is being trained IN air.
borne operations and in Arctic war
fare.
Arctic training, In which both
Britain and the United States are
sharing, Is a combination of modern
science ard Boy Scout practice. Its
essential basis is strictly Boy Scout.
It Is learning to live in extremely
cold temperatures, to navigate in
the north by land or air, to develop
suitable clothing and food, and to
look after men and machines. This
involves more science than strategy.
Machines, from aircraft to guns, be-
have differently in very cold tenn
peratures. They may have to be
adapted or new decvices may have
to be invented. For example, new
types Of snowmobiles are being de-
veloped. A special twin-engined,
two-seater Jet fighter has been de-
signed and prototypes are now be-
ing built.
All this is short-term planning.
In the longer run defense experts
are thinking Of long-range rockets
and automatic weapons or of air
craft capable of bringing atomic
bombs over the Pole. Such con-
tingency may call for a chain of
radar stations and other devices for
interception over the Arctic rim of
the continent; but those are plans
for tomorrow rather than for today.
Besides her direct responsibility
for guarding her own back door,
Canada Is thinking Of plans for
participation in other theaters with
her Allies.
Need Raw Materials
The Canadian Navy would again
guard the North Atlantic routes.
The Air Force would join in the
overall Allied plan. The present
small permanent army is designed
as a cadre ready to train reserves
In the shortest possible time. The
government is being attacked in
the opposition press for neglecting
to recruit adequate manpower, and
its main emphasis at present is on
weapons rather than men.
The primary need is for adequate
stocks Of the essential raw ma
terials-steel, rubber, nickel, chrome
manganese, tin, antimony and many
more. Canada produces many OF
these metals, but some of them
notably steel, are already short for
the peacetime needs of industry.
Plans are being made through the
Industrial Defense Board to CO.
ordinate the requirements of in
dustry with wartime needs In such
q way that necessary stocks for war
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