Presidential Papers, Doc#24 Cable. <EM>Confidential</EM> To Louis St. Laurent, 5 February 1957. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower
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Document #24; February 5, 1957
To Louis St. Laurent
Series: EM, AWF, International Series: Canada ; Category: Cable. Confidential
The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, Volume XVIII - The Presidency: Keeping the Peace
Part I: A New Beginning, Old Problems; January 1957 to May 1957
Chapter 1: The Mideast and the Eisenhower Doctrine

 

Dear Prime Minister:1 Since Governor Adams' letter to you of January fifteenth, he proceeded with the course of action there outlined to evaluate for me the problem about which you wrote to me concerning the impact of our surplus disposal program on your western wheat producers.2 An oral report has been given to your Ambassador here for transmittal to you.3

A review of the transactions involving our foreign sales of wheat last year and those projected for this year has been made and has been discussed with me.4 In turn, I have given instructions to communicate my deep concern in the matter to United States representatives who participate with Canadian officials in periodic conferences on wheat export problems. In addition, my recognition of the complex nature of this problem is being brought to the attention of our Council on Foreign Economic Policy.5

Needless to say, I am keenly interested in working toward our essential goals in this field with the fullest possible consideration of its impact on Canada. It may be unreasonable to hope that disagreement will be eliminated from all areas in which Canada is affected by our emergency surplus disposal program, but I want you to know that it is the intention of all of us here to reduce to a minimum the points at which our respective interests diverge.

We shall continue to keep your representatives informed through normal channels of developments in our surplus disposal program and will, I assure you, be prepared to review with Canadian officials those aspects of our policy which appear to jeopardize Canadian interests.6 Sincerely

1 St. Laurent had been Prime Minister of Canada since November 1948. The State Department would cable the text of this letter to the U.S. embassy in Ottawa on February 7.

2 The Agricultural Trade and Development Assistance Act (passed on July 10, 1954) had established guidelines for the disposal of surplus agricultural commodities through both sales and barter (Congressional Quarterly Almanac, vol. X, 1954, pp. 121 - 24). Transactions under the law had seriously affected the commercial sales of these commodities by traders from several countries. St. Laurent had told Eisenhower that the pace of U.S. wheat surplus disposal "had been stepped up rather than moderated" since Canadian officials had met to discuss the problem with Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson in September 1955. "In one way or another," the Prime Minister wrote, " . . . your wheat is being made so attractive to importing countries that they reduce their purchases from Canada and other exporting countries, which cannot afford to subsidize on such a tremendous scale." St. Laurent said that the proposed expansion of U.S. wheat sales to France and Poland would further harm Canadian wheat producers. Sherman Adams had told St. Laurent that the Administration would review the impact of U.S. wheat sales on Canada (see Foreign Relations, 1955 - 1957, vol. XXVII, Western Europe and Canada [1992], pp. 857 - 62, 877 - 79; State, Foreign Relations, 1955 - 1957, vol. IX, Foreign Economic Policy; Foreign Information Program [1987], pp. 217 - 19; and Ezra Taft Benson, Cross Fire: The Eight Years with Eisenhower [New York, 1962], p. 270).

3 Arnold D. P. Heeney had been Canadian ambassador to the United States since 1953.

4 We have been unable to locate any record of this review and discussion.

5 For background on the council see Galambos and van Ee, The Middle Way, no. 975.

6 St. Laurent would tell Eisenhower that he was confident the United States would implement the disposal program in a way that would be "the least disturbing to normal grain marketing operations" (St. Laurent to Eisenhower, Feb. 12, 1957, AWF/I: Canada).

At Cabinet meetings on April 12 and June 17 Secretary Dulles and Under Secretary of State Christian A. Herter would both note the Canadian apprehension over any future U.S. agreements involving surplus wheat. On August 13, 1957, however, the legislation would be extended for another year (State, Foreign Relations, 1955 - 1957, vol. IX, Foreign Economic Policy; Foreign Information Program, pp. 225 - 29, 231 - 34, 246 - 48, 250 - 53, 258 - 59, 267 - 74; see also Foreign Relations, 1955 - 1957, vol. XXVII, Western Europe and Canada, pp. 888 - 901).

Bibliographic reference to this document:
Eisenhower, Dwight D. Cable. Confidential To Louis St. Laurent, 5 February 1957. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, ed. L. Galambos and D. van Ee, doc. 24. World Wide Web facsimile by The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission of the print edition; Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996, http://www.eisenhowermemorial.org/presidential-papers/second-term/documents/24.cfm

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