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Defence Scheme No. 1





RECONNAISSANCE

Brown himself did Reconnaissance for the plan, along with other lieutenant-colonels, all in Plainclothes . These missions took place from 1921 and 1926. As historian Pierre Berton noted in his book '' Marching As To War '', these investigations had "a zany flavour about it, reminiscent of the silent comedies of the day." To illustrate this, Berton quoted from Brown's reports, in which Brown recorded, among other things, that in Burlington, Vermont the people were "affable" and thus unusual for Americans; that Americans drink significantly less Alcohol than Canadians (this was during Prohibition ), and that upon pointing out that to Americans one responded "My God! I'd go for a glass of beer. I'm going to 'Canady' to get some more"; that the people of Vermont would only be serious soldiers "if aroused"; and that many Americans might be sympathetic with the British cause.


REACTION

Despite Berton's description of the plan and its creator as "quixotic," Berton notes the plan had its supporters. These included General George Pearkes , who remarked that Defence Scheme No. 1 was a "fantastic desperate plan {Link without Title} just might have worked." However, in 1928, the scheme was terminated by Chief Of The General Staff Andrew McNaughton , who sought peaceful US-British relations. Many of the documents relating to the scheme were accordingly destroyed.


REFERENCES


Books

  • Berton, Pierre. ''Marching as to War: Canada's Turbulent Years 1899-1953''. Anchor Canada: 2002.


  • Harris, Steven, ''Canadian Brass: The Making of a Professional Army, 1860-1939''. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1988. Includes a section on the interwar defence planning.



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