Indications of war: American, British and Canadian intelligence diplomacy and the 1957 tripartite intelligence alerts agreement

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article draws on recently declassified records to describe the origins of the 1957 Tripartite Intelligence Alerts Agreement. The agreement required the Governments of Canada, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US) to inform each other in case they concluded that war was imminent in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization area. British and Canadian desires to influence any United States decision about nuclear weapons use provided the impetus for the agreement. Canada played a significant role in the diplomacy that led to the agreement. This suggests that Canada was a more important player in intelligence history than usually observed, and that parts of the US-UK ‘Special Relationship’ cannot be fully understood without attention to Canada.