The Missing Essential Part: Emergency Provision of Nuclear Weapons for RCAF Air Defence Command, 1961-1964

摘要

During the Cold War, Canada acquired aircraft and missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons but no agreement existed for Canadian access to those weapons. The Diefenbaker government, elected in 1957, was suspicious of anything that might compromise Canadian sovereignty and harboured a small cadre of anti-nuclear members in its ranks. During a series of incidents, including the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, the Royal Canadian Air Force deployed five squadrons of CF-101B Voodoo interceptors and two squadrons of Bomarc B heavy surface-to-air missiles to protect North America as part of the North American Air Defence Command agreement. This study examines the three available options for the emergency deployment of nuclear weapons to Canada and their viability in light of new information.