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SECRET.

No. 73-C.

CANADA.

Scale of Attack on Prince Rupert.

C.O. 2446/10.

J

Memorandum by the Committee of Imperial Defence.

THE Colonial Office have referred to the Committee of Imperial Defence a despatch, dated the 11th January, 1910, from the Governor-General of Canada, transmitting a copy of the proceedings of an Interdepartmental Committee assembled to consider the question of acquiring reservations over land in the vicinity of Prince Rupert, which may eventually be required in connection with any scheme for fixed defences. An expression of opinion as to the nature of attack to which the harbour may be exposed in the future and the standard of defences to be maintained is desired.

The despatch and its enclosures are printed as an Appendix to this Memorandum.

2. The despatch of the Governor-General of Canada was received at a time when the general principles governing the defence of the oversea Dominions and Colonies were undergoing a comprehensive review and revision. It was accordingly decided that its consideration should be deferred pending the completion of a general Memorandum dealing with the defence of the Dominions and Colonies as a whole.

8. In the Colonial Defence Committee's Memorandum No. 417 M., dated the 7th July, 1910, which has received the approval of the Committee of Imperial Defence, the general principles of Imperial defence, as set forth in their Memorandum No. 848 M., dated the 2nd August, 1905, have been restated with modifications necessitated to meet the change of conditions brought about by recent developments of naval matériel and alterations in the naval situation throughout the world. The particular case of Prince Rupert will now be considered in the light of the general principles stated in that Memorandum.

4. It is obvious that the course of events in war cannot be predicted with certainty; and in recording the following opinions as to the probable nature and scale of oversea attack on Prince Rupert, the Admiralty desire that it should be understood that they must not be held to have given an absolute guarantee that any particular form of operation will not be undertaken in war. All that they claim to do is to state what forms of oversea attack, having regard to the general strategic situation, they consider to be reasonably probable, with a view to furnishing a reasoned basis for determining the standard of defences required at any place, so as to ensure that the defences are provided on a uniform system and wasteful expenditure avoided.

5. The following particulars of the naval ports and the available military forces of Powers having possessions on the Pacific serve to indicate the relative

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