Time for Talk

It was eight years since Franklin Roosevelt and Mackenzie King met at Ogdensburg, N.Y. and pledged their countries to joint action in defense of North America. The agreement still stands, but because it keeps raising questions which have to be settled at the top policy level, U.S. Defense Secretary James Forrestal was in Ottawa last week. After talking things over with his Canadian counterpart, Brooke Claxton, he planned to go to Ogdensburg with Claxton and unveil a plaque commemorating the signing of the agreement.

In Ottawa, everything went smoothly. Forrestal enjoyed a round of parties and two rounds of golf. There was a two-hour brass-tacks session with the brass hats.

Sitting down with Forrestal and four members of the Canadian cabinet's defense committee were the chiefs of staff of Canada's armed services and General Andrew G. L. McNaughton, co-chairman of the Joint Defense Board set up under the Ogdensburg agreement. Top items for discussion: plans for Canada's industrial mobilization, the standardization of U.S. and Canadian arms, what to do about U.S. bases in Newfoundland when the "Oldest Colony" becomes the newest province. No hard & fast detailed decisions were made; the idea of the meeting was to keep defense cooperation firmly based on close, human relationships.

In Ogdensburg next day, everything went awry. Although a tight schedule had forced Forrestal to give up the idea of unveiling the plaque, he still expected to have time for a speech. But the boat that brought him across the St. Lawrence was late, and then Forrestal spent too long looking at antiques in one of the town's historic houses. In the end, he bolted his lunch and hustled for his plane without making the speech.

That left Claxton to do the honors, and he had an unhappy time. In mid-speech, a gust of wind ripped away the sheet that veiled the plaque, wrapped it around the master of ceremonies. After this diversion, Claxton ran afoul of a rain squall that sent most of his audience scurrying. He still had five minutes to go, and he went right on talking.

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