Elephant and Friends

What, Canada's Prime Minister was asked, did he want to see most in Washington? "The sun," he replied. He got his wish. Walking through the White House Rose Garden last week, he looked up as the sun broke through the mist and a mockingbird burst into song from the topmost branch of a budding magnolia tree.

The scene had not been quite so auspicious earlier, as Pierre Elliott Trudeau arrived in the capital in a rainstorm. President Richard Nixon's first state visitor looked unwontedly grave, nervously kneaded his hands, and said rather awkwardly that he looked forward to "the information and wisdom that you will want to impart upon me in your talks." Trudeau had every reason to be wary. His government is upset over U.S. attitudes on oil imports and wheat prices. It is apprehensive about Nixon's Safeguard ABM system. It is engaged in an intensive review of foreign and defense policy. Canada has already decided to establish full diplomatic relations with Red China, and very soon will decide whether to continue its membership in NATO.

Warming the Climate. In the past, Trudeau observed, Canada's geographical and economic links to the U.S. have given his country scant percentage of maneuverability in its foreign policy. However, he said pointedly, "it should use that 10% or 20% to the hilt." He defined Canada's position as "one of interrogation." For his part, Nixon was anxious to warm the climate between neighbors that had cooled under two previous Administrations. But he also felt compelled to press tactfully for U.S. defensive security both in this hemisphere and in Europe. The President was persuasive in contending that the ABM system's flexibility and slow timetable would not escalate the arms race. Trudeau, speaking to newsmen at the Canadian embassy, held to his early reservations and objected: "I don't think that the general question has been answered, any more than it was a week ago." However, he later conveyed a different message to his House of Commons. Noting that the first ABM sites would not be operational until 1973, he said: "This gives us more than a few days or weeks to take our position." He was also impressed by Nixon's argument that a Canadian pullout from NATO would undermine the U.S. bargaining position with the Soviets and demoralize Western Europe.

The Prime Minister was happy that the U.S. agreed to confer soon on oil imports (Canada wants more than its current quarter of the U.S. foreign quota) and resume general trade-policy discussions (not held since 1967) covering investments, balance of payments and other economic issues.

Ring Any Time. It was "one of the most successful meetings of this type," declared Nixon, who thereupon insisted that his visitor stay in touch by telephone ($1.45 for a daytime, three-minute station call). Trudeau recovered his salient wit at a press luncheon and said about the U.S.: "Living next to you is in some ways like sleeping with an elephant. No matter how friendly or even-tempered is the beast, if I can call it that, one is affected by every twitch and grunt." Asked when he would invite back that celebrated state visitor Charles de Gaulle (who later said that he was coming to the Eisenhower funeral), Trudeau riposted: "Well, I believe you have invited him to visit your country. We will see what he does if he goes to Louisiana."

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