2110-7-11-17

Laurier House, Ottawa

August 24, 1936.

His Excellency The Right Honourable Lord Tweedsmuir , G.C.M.G., C.H., On board Vice-Regal Train.

My dear J.B.

I received, on Saturday, your letter of August the 17th from Government House, Victoria.

I was delighted to know that all apparently had gone so well on your Western trip, and that a change of scene and air had done your health much good. From the glimpses I have had from the press of yourself and your doings, it would seem that you had been able to manage splendidly. The accounts indeed were most reassuring as to the effect of the journey upon your spirits and health.

I am glad the Indian Ceremony at Carlton was so picturesque and interesting. I had never expected to see the day when I should be sharing the honour of being an Indian Chief in company with the Governor General of Canada, but ours is a country of romance, and wherever the North American Indian is, something of romance is pretty certain to survive.

I hope that your week on the Governor's yacht will have afforded you time for necessary rest as well as recreation. Apparently the trip is not devoid of adventure. I see by the press that, in the course of fishing, you have managed to get into the water once or twice!

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I am sure your trip through the Prairies has come at an opportune time for the people of the Plains, if not for yourself. With all their optimism and courage, they greatly need the sympathetic and understanding word. Nowhere is such 1ikely to be more generally appreciated.

What a problem our Provincial Governments present! The sweep in Quebec, the mix-up in Manitoba, the confusion in Alberta are all symptomatic of latent unrest and discontent. Fortunately, they are trifling in comparison with the conditions existing in Europe. I sometimes wonder whether there will be any fall Assembly of the League of Nations. I am beginning to feel that it might be far from unfortunate, if for a year or more the meetings of that Institution were wholly suspended.

As you are aware, with the exception of Euler, all of the colleagues who were in Europe are now back. Without exception, they speak of the tension which is everywhere apparent. What is even more serious, they have come back with the impression that in the minds of the people of Europe, irrespective of country, war on an European scale is all but inevitable. I keep wondering if some way cannot be found whereby if Europe is determined on war, she might not be left to herself, the British Empire standing outside ready, at any and every moment, to do all within its power to restrict the area of conflict and to assist in its termination. I am sure you will agree that a war in which the Empire became involved, would have very serious consequences so far as the unity of this Dominion is concerned. The one thing to strive for is a union of the English speaking peoples to protect our peace and, as you said at Quebec, to preserve what we can of civilization.

If you are again in Edmonton, should the chance offer itself, I wish you would arrange to meet Colonel Primrose and let me have our impression of him as a possible

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successor to Walsh in his post as Lieutenent-Governor. Mr. Justice Clarke, of Calgary, is another possibility. There is no doubt in my mind about Clarke's qualifications, should he be prepare to leave the Bench to accept the other post. I am a little in doubt about the wisdom of continuing Munroe in Saskatchewan, though an obvious successor is not to be found. From the talks I have had with Saskatchewan members and others, I can see that the most likely successor is "Archie" McNab. He has many qualifications which would make his appointment popular with the people of the Province. He has, however, obvious limitations.

The term of the Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia is also up and a successor is about to be appointed for that Province. I wish we had all our appointments settled. With vacancies on the Bench and the Board of Directors of the Railways, the Bank of Canada and the Radio Commission still to be constituted, and other vacancies, we have in all some forty important appointments to make. Such preliminary surveys as we have had, make apparent that it is going to be extremely difficult to secure the class of man which each particular position should have.

From now until I leave on the 12th, the Cabinet will be meeting the greater part of each week. My summer is at an end and I am practically bidding farewell to Kingsmere. You may be interested in knowing that as a part of my summer reading, I have been going pretty carefully through Lloyd George's "War Memoirs". I have read some of their pages before and glanced at others. This summer I have been reading many parts with care. I do not like to say so, but I have felt that I owed it to the country and to my work to anticipate as largely as possible, the matters to be given consideration prior to or in the event of war. What ever else is lacking in Lloyd George's narrative, certain it is, there is no omission vdth respect to the problems of any significrnce, or how they are best to be met by "vigour and vision".

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I should give a good deal not to have to go abroad for the next two months. I have, at last, overtaken arrears of correspondence and other work , but I can see wherein it will all begin anew once I am away for a fort- night or longer.

We are having the Lord Mayor of London as the guest of the Government on Wednesday of next week. We shall give him a welcome on Parliament Hill in the forenoon and a drive about the City with luncheon at the Country Club. He is here only during the morning and afternoon.

I hope Lady Tweedsmuir is well and has enjoyed the Western trip. Please give my kindest remembrances to her and to all of your party.

[ST: handwritten addendum to this letter - as follows]

Later Aug, 26.

May I renew before signing the good wishes for your 61st year, which I expressed in a wire I sent on behalf of my colleagues and myself last night. I do hope this year will bring you renewed health and great happiness to all your work.

Yours very sincerely Rex.

P.S. I see echoes of Quebec in the N.Y. Times pronouncement on Roosevelt's behalf. That visit will do this present world much more good than any meeting of the Assembly of the League of Nations.