A Richard Rohmer Omnibus, page 9
The Prime Minister began with the telephone call from the President and traced the events and plans through to the point of his proposed discussion with the President the next evening, at which time he would inform him of the decision made by the Canadian Parliament.
The sherry was silently served. The Prime Minister took a sip from time to time as he proceeded. His host sat back and puffed occasionally on the cigar as he listened intently to everything that was being said.
When it was over, the Governor-General slowly shook his head. “Incredible, simply incredible.”
Nothing was said for a few moments. Finally His Excellency broke the silence. “You know, Bob, in one way you are in a fortunate position whether you realize it or not. You said you’re going to meet with the provincial premiers at six o’clock. Has it struck you that the two main points of the ultimatum come strictly within federal jurisdiction rather than provincial? The first has to do with native rights, an area of responsibility which no province has ever claimed. The second—the demand for Arctic Islands gas—has to do with the Northwest Territories and the Yukon, which are still under direct federal jurisdiction since they have not yet received full provincial status.
“So I think that in regard to the first two points, the Parliament of Canada and you as Prime Minister can speak exclusively and without interference from the provinces.
“On the third matter—the one having to do with granting the Americans free access to any part of Canada to enable them to transport gas from the Arctic Islands—things might be more difficult. If they’re talking about a pipeline—and I presume they are—then that pipeline will have to come from the Islands either down the west coast of Hudson Bay and through Manitoba and Ontario into New York State or Michigan. Or it will have to come down across Baffin Island, then across Hudson Strait into the Ungava area of Northern Quebec and on from there. If it is to be a pipeline, can you and Parliament commit the provinces, or do you think you have to get their consent?”
The Prime Minister took his last drop of sherry, put down the glass, and replied, “I hadn’t thought of the problem in exactly those terms, but it was in my mind that I would have to have the advice and, if necessary, the consent of the premiers. That’s why I asked them to come to Ottawa. The question of jurisdiction will very likely be raised by Quebec and possibly Ontario, but perhaps I should raise the matter with them first.”
The Governor-General nodded. “Yes, I think you should.”
The Prime Minister went on. “One thing is certain. If I do have to obtain consent of any one of the provinces, it will have to be from the premier alone. He can check with his cabinet, but there’s no way the legislatures could be convened in time to endorse or reject that consent. The whole responsibility for the decision will have to be taken by the individual premier.
“And if any one of them balks, I suppose we—that is, Parliament—will have to override the objection. On the other hand, if Parliament rejects the ultimatum, then the question of provincial consent becomes academic.
“In any event, I don’t think the Americans will bring the gas out of the islands by pipe, because I don’t think it’s technically possible. A consortium called the Polar Gas Study Group has been trying for years to lay pipe between Melville and Byam Martin Islands. They have had one failure after another. I understand they are running a final test now on a new plastic pipe, but I doubt whether it will be successful. It’s my guess that they’ll choose to take the gas out by air, using the fleet of huge aircraft which Boeing and the American gas companies have been developing.”
The Governor-General said, “Oh, yes, the Resources Carrier. That’s the plane we initiated some years back and then lost out on.”
“That’s right, sir. The Americans carried through with the project and the prototype had its maiden flight in Seattle about six weeks ago.
“Panarctic and Tenneco plan to use the aircraft to fly the gas off the Islands if the pipe doesn’t work. They would carry it out on relatively short hauls to Ungava in Quebec or Cochrane in Ontario, say, and then feed it into pipelines there for transmission to New York State. Or, on the other hand, they could decide to extend its range and airlift directly to the United States.
“In any event, they’re going to use the RCA to haul the oil from the new Melville wells to market.”
The Governor-General thought for a moment. “Bob, there’s another question that’s been going through my mind. What about the formality of my presence at the opening of the emergency session of Parliament tomorrow?”
“I haven’t checked with the Speaker yet, but I think your presence will be required. If a Speech from the Throne is necessary, I’ll prepare a one-liner for you. I’ll confirm it, but I think you should plan to be present.”
The Prime Minister went on. “I think I should tell you, in your capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, that I have asked the Chief of the Defence Staff to alert the entire military establishment with a view to containing any possible outbreaks or demonstrations of anti-Americanism that might occur as a result of the President’s ultimatum.
“The CDS tells me there has been a marked escalation in U.S. military flights over Canada since this morning. I’m not really worried about that; it’s obviously part of their game plan. What really worries me is what the President can do to us by economic sanctions. The one he has already imposed is serious enough by itself, but when you get down to it, he could practically destroy our economy overnight if he chose to do so. Whether this will be sufficient to persuade Parliament that it should give in is the real question.
“The other side of that question is whether or not Canadians, and in particular the members of the Commons and the Senate, are sufficiently nationalistic to refuse the ultimatum and face the consequences.”
“Well, you’ll know soon enough,” said the Governor-General. “I can certainly understand the Americans’ predicament, but I wish they hadn’t chosen this big-stick blackmail-type approach. It just isn’t in keeping with their traditional way of doing things.”
“Perhaps it is consistent if you look at their track record since World War II,” said the Prime Minister as he stood up. “Now, sir, if you’ll excuse me, I must go to my meeting with the premiers.”
The Governor-General also rose, walked around the coffee table, and taking the Prime Minister by the arm, led him toward the door. He said, “Well, Bob, I don’t know that I’ve given you much help during this visit or any advice, for that matter, but maybe I’ve given you a chance to review the whole situation and perhaps see the implications of the President’s actions and your own in a better perspective.”
“Yes, I think you’re right. It’s a great help to me to know that you’re here and ready to back me up.”
By this time they had reached the entrance foyer of Rideau Hall. The young aide was holding open the door.
The Governor-General turned and faced the Prime Minister, looking him squarely in the eye. “Now remember, Bob, I’m available to you at any time of the day or night. I will do anything I can to help, anything at all.”
The Prime Minister turned and went out the door, quickly passing the saluting RCMP officer, and turned to wave to the Governor-General as he got into his car and was gone.
When the Prime Minister arrived back at his office, he found that Senator Thomas had left.
“He didn’t feel comfortable in your office, sir, so he went back to his own,” Scott explained on the intercom. “He said to call him when you want him.”
“O.K. Where are the premiers, Tom? Have they arrived in town yet?”
“They’re all here but Post of Nova Scotia. He’s somewhere in Europe and they can’t find him, so Margaret Cameron, the acting premier, has come in his place. I’ve booked them all in at the Chateau Laurier. They’ll be here at six. I’ve set up the Cabinet Room for you.
“And whether you like it or not, sir, I have arranged for steak to be brought in at seven. I know that you will want to get right on to the final preparation of the nine o’clock statement. Do you think you’ll be through with your meeting with the premiers by that time?”
“Yes, I must be clear by then. If the meeting hasn’t broken up, come in and get me. Say another emergency has arisen so that I can wrap it up. Arrange for some food for yourself; then the three of us can have a bite to eat together and you can bring us up to date on what has been going on.
“After that, we can go over Senator Thomas’ draft. Have my secretary stand by to retype as we put on the finishing touches. Would you remind her to use the extra-large type so that I can read the speech without my glasses?”
Tom Scott laughed. “I’ll tell her, sir. I don’t think she would ever forget, though.”
“Have there been any urgent calls?”
“No, none that are really urgent. I’ve had several calls from your ministers and a lot of other people, but there have been no direct calls for you. I think people realize the importance of the situation and don’t want to bother you.”
“Good. I’m going to take the next few hours to make some notes about what I want to say in the House tomorrow.
“By the way, have you heard anything from the Minister of Justice about the draft resolution? We should have that by now.”
“It’s just arrived on my desk this moment. Shall I bring it in?”
“Yes, please do.”
By six o’clock the Prime Minister had gone back and forth over the draft motion and made a few minor changes. He called in Tom Scott. “Here’s the motion, Tom. I’m satisfied that it’s in acceptable form now. Would you please have it retyped and deliver it back to the Minister of Justice as quickly as possible. He’s going to circulate it to the other Cabinet ministers. If they will let him have their comments by nine o’clock tonight, he should be able to give me a final draft by 9:30. It might be a good idea if he sent a copy to the party leaders at the same time so that we can arrange a meeting if they have any objections.”
“Will do, sir.”
The Prime Minister stood up. He looked pale and tired. Scott said, “You’ve been under a terrible strain today, sir. Are you going to be able to get some sleep tonight?”
“I’ll try, but it will have to be here in this office. I want to be near the hot line and close at hand in case I’m needed.”
The Prime Minister glanced at his watch. “Good Lord, I’m five minutes late for the meeting with the premiers. They’re a sensitive bunch at the best of times, so I’d better get going. Remember to come and get me, Tom, if the meeting hasn’t broken up by seven.”
Air Force One / 1:14 p.m., CDT
After leaving Churchill, Air Force One climbed back up to 40,000 feet. The President levelled it off and turned the controls over to the pilot, then went down to the office to be briefed on events as they were happening in Ottawa. He scanned the summary of the Prime Minister’s remarks made in response to his own, snorted a couple of times, and said to Wolf and Johnston, “Well, you’ve got to give that young fellow credit. He’s certainly trying hard.”
They had reached the south end of the Boothia Peninsula and were starting down. The cloud cover below had disappeared and they were able to see the vast reaches of the Canadian Arctic eastward to Baffin Island and westward towards Victoria and Banks Island. Stretching out in front of them was the great channel which separated the mainland from the Arctic Islands — the historic Northwest Passage.
The President pointed out the channel and said, “I came up here to see the Manhattan sail past Resolute Bay in September ’69 with a group of people from Montreal who were making the trip at the invitation of Nordair.
“We found her to the west of Resolute Bay, steaming through a great pan of ice. She was a pretty sight, looked right at home in that setting, but the Canadians weren’t very happy that she was here. She represented a threat to their claim that the waters of the Northwest Passage belonged to them. They’ve passed all sorts of legislation since, claiming sovereignty, which they can’t possibly enforce, but the voyage gave notice that we intend to back up our position that the Passage is high seas.”
Soon Air Force One came in for a landing on the new 10,000-foot runway at Resolute Bay. In the years since his last trip, only the centre core of Resolute had changed appreciably. The single-storey, red-coloured prefabricated buildings that had been brought in by ship to serve as offices, hotel, and administrative buildings were still there, but there was now also a high-rise building like the one in Frobisher. And there were several new hangars lying to the west of the runway, and a great many more fuel-storage tanks.
Resolute Bay had become, in fact, an Arctic boom town. Though it was a poor airport because of uncertain weather conditions, it made an excellent naval base, and had developed into the major regional centre serving the growing gas and oil developments in the Sverdrup Islands. The recent discovery of a massive pool of oil on Melville Island had added to the already enormous discoveries of gas on the Sabine Peninsula and on King Christian, Ellef Ringnes, Thor, Axel Heiberg, and Ellesmere Islands. The number of rigs drilling in the area had increased from thirteen to fifty within a ten-year period. Resolute was for the President just a transfer point, however, the last possible landing space for the giant 747 in that part of the world. With no more than a quick look around to survey the changes which had come about since he was there before, the President went aboard the Hercules transport that was ready and waiting for him. Wolf and Johnston and the rest of the staff would remain on Air Force One to provide the link between the President and the outside world.
The Canadian fighter planes, the fifth pair to join them, scrambled to refuel and took off shortly after the President. It was by then four o’clock in the afternoon local time, but the sun was still high in the sky. The weather was “ceiling and visibility unlimited.” The Here flew low at 2,000 feet so that the President could clearly see the geological formations, especially the huge salt domes which dotted the islands from Melville to Ellesmere. It was at the edge of these domes that the oil and gas finds were occurring with such remarkable frequency.
They had taken off in a northerly direction, but at Bathurst Island they turned left to swing over the Magnetic North Pole and then due west toward Melville Island. The President wanted to take a look at the main base of Panarctic at Rea Point and at the work going on at Drake Point and Hecla, where development wells were now being drilled.
When they reached Drake Point the President said, “Circle around, Captain. I want to have another look. It was right about here that the first big gas discovery was made in January ’70. It came up under such enormous pressure that it blew. It took several months before they could bring it under control. The same sort of thing happened elsewhere in the Arctic, too. No one had the know-how or the technology then to cope with high-pressure finds like that.
“Well, I guess I’ve seen all I need. We can head south now.”
As the captain lined up for the final approach to the Polar Gas base, the President said, “Are you going to land on the ice?”
The captain nodded, “Yes, sir. I checked it out when we were on our way across from Fairbanks earlier today. The strip is serviceable, the ice moves and opens up a bit here and there in August and September, but with freeze-up on it’s real solid and no problem.”
When they had landed and had taxied up to the cluster of four shacks which served the airstrip, the captain said, “You could probably communicate directly with Air Force One using the base camp radio, sir, but we should really be the master ground net because of the extra communications we have on board. They give us more flexibility.”
“Fine,” said the President. “Bear in mind that I may want to get the hell out of here fast if something big comes up.” He unstrapped his seat-belt and with the help of the navigator, put on his army parka. He hoisted himself down a ladder to the cargo deck and moved quickly toward the passenger door on the port side of the aircraft. The crew chief had put down the steps by the time he reached the door.
As the President stepped out of the aircraft he was hit by a blast of freezing air whipped up by the propellers, which were still turning. He ran quickly to get out of the propwash toward a tall figure, dressed in muskrat parka and mitts, caribou mukluks and heavy dark trousers, waiting to meet him.
“Welcome to Polar Gas, Mr. President,” the man said. “I’m Harold Magnusson. I’m with Tenneco out of Houston, assigned to Polar Gas Study as Chief Engineer, trying to pick up the pieces here.”
“Mighty proud to meet you, son. Glad to find a fellow Texan, even in these parts.”
They walked toward the Polar Gas helicopter, which started up as they approached. When they had climbed in, Magnusson said, “What I’d like to do, sir, is take you to the base camp, show you a model of the under-water pipeline we’ve been working on, explain the system, and brief you on the test we’re running tomorrow morning.”
The President said, “That sounds fine, Harold. I’d like to hear and see as much as I can while Fm here.” He turned to look at Magnusson and smiled. “I bet you could even find a big Texas steak in the freezer if you looked.”
“I wouldn’t be at all surprised, Mr. President. We’re real proud to have you here as our guest. This is a big event for us at Polar Gas. We have a visit from the President, and we’ve finally got the line installed under the ice in a new system that I’ve put together in the last year and a half. We were going to run the first test this morning, but when we got word that you were coming, we put it off until early tomorrow morning so you could see it.”
The President turned to Magnusson and said, “Son, let me tell you something. For the last four years I’ve been watching the work at this station with an eagle eye. I’ve heard about every failure and every disaster. I’ve also heard a lot about you since you got here, and they tell me if anybody can make this thing work you can. I knew you were going to be running the experiment, and that’s what helped me make the decision to come up here. The success or failure of this test is of tremendous importance to us. If it fails, I don’t think we’ve a hope in hell of licking this energy crisis. If it succeeds, we’ve got a real fighting chance. So I’m mighty pleased, Harold, that you waited until I got here.”
